Cobblestone streets have been a fixture of Gastown since they were installed in Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood in a beautification scheme in 1974-75.
But maybe not for much longer. Over the years many of the original cobblestones – which are actually concrete pavers or bricks – have cracked and been patched with asphalt. Even when they were replaced by similar pavers or bricks, they’re a different colour.
The city’s engineering department has decided it’s time to look at other options.
“Frankly, the treatment that is there is coming to the end of its life – it’s pretty bumpy and up and down,” said the city’s chief engineer, Peter Judd.
“What I’ve committed to do with the Gastown Business Improvement area is look at options for complete replacement of those streets.”
This doesn’t mean the three cobblestone blocks of Water street will be covered in regular asphalt, however.
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“It is important in my view that we have a treatment on the street there that reflects the historic character,” said Judd.
Heritage expert John Atkin doesn’t have a problem with replacing the faux-cobblestones, providing the replacement fits into the unique character of the area.
“Traditionally, level streets in Vancouver were never paved in stone,” he explained.
Atkin thinks the problem with the present cobblestones is that they weren’t designed for the volume or weight of traffic (11,000 to 13,000 vehicles use Water Street daily).
Judd expects it will take about a year to do a report on how or if the cobblestones should be replaced. The city is also making another significant change in the area, replacing the much-maligned fluorescent bulbs in Gastown’s street lights.
“Right now they’re fluorescent, and the fluorescent doesn’t do very well with the vibration of traffic, so it costs a fortune to maintain them. In fact we don’t maintain them, can’t maintain them that well, so there’s a lot of lights out.
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