Strathcona residents concerned over viaducts in the wake of deadly crash

Depending on who you talk to in Vancouver some believe the Dunsmuir and Georgia viaducts are scars on the city which block majestic views and take up much-needed space. Others see them as vital pieces of an infrastructure which help keep our economy growing.

But to many Strathcona neighbourhood residents, with an increased number of traffic incidents, the only thing the viaducts bring them are dangerous roadways.

“The principle concern for Strathcona is not so much if the viaducts stay up or come down, it’s whether or not the traffic which is a result of the viaducts, remains in Strathcona,” Graham Elvidge, Strathcona Residents’ Association told Global BC.

With more than 43,000 vehicles using the viaducts, speed has the community concerned about safety. On Friday one person was killed and three seriously injured after a car flipped on the viaduct shortly before 3 a.m. Police believe speed was a factor in the crash.

As Elvidge points out, the street is made up of three components. It starts with the viaducts, which turns into the residential roads of Prior Street then into Venables Street, with each component of road having very different characteristics as it relates to handling traffic volume.

The city has requested a report about the future of the viaducts be completed by March. One recommendation has been to move traffic one block south of Prior Street, which is 66 feet wide and mostly residential, to the 100-foot wide industrial thoroughfare of Malkin Avenue.

With almost 25,000 vehicles using Prior Street, Strathcona’s 8,000 residents have indicated they’d support the removal of the viaducts as long as Prior Street returns to its residential road status.