Some relief in sight for Vancouver commuters as East 1st Ave set to reopen

There is some relief in sight for commuters who rely on a busy stretch of East 1st Avenue in Vancouver.

Parts of the arterial road have been closed or partially closed for much of the summer, but it is expected to fully reopen by the end of the month.

A section of East 1st Avenue between Rupert Street and Nanaimo Street that had been partially closed is expected to open on Sunday.

WATCH: Gas line work hurts Burnaby businesses

2:05 Gas line work hurts Burnaby businesses

The stretch between Clark Drive and Nanaimo Street, which has been fully closed to traffic since last month, is set to open on Aug. 31.

The work between Nanaimo and Clark is complete, but the city needs to do electrical work before it opens to traffic.

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The road has been a construction zone for several weeks as FortisBC replaces 20 kilometres of gas line from Vancouver to Coquitlam.

The project was announced back in April to give people time to prepare. Still, several local businesses along the route say it’s been a tough summer.

Artem Voropaev of Pacific Laptop, Inc. on Nanaimo Street says he’s seen a 30 to 40 per cent drop in business.

Globalnews.ca coverage of East 1st Ave. closure

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• 1st Avenue closures begin in Vancouver
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“We lost a lot of new customers because there is no traffic anymore here,” he said. “New customers think, ‘It’s too difficult to get here, let’s find another business.'”

FortisBC tried to help by purchasing gift cards for businesses and promoting the fact they were still open.

“We recognize that it has been an inconvenience for people in the area but we do really appreciate the patience that the community has shown us, whether it’s residents or businesses or commuters,” FortisBC spokesperson Trevor Wales said.