Georgia Viaduct
| Georgia Viaduct | |
|---|---|
Georgia Viaduct's eastbound entry point from Beatty St.
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| Coordinates | 49°16′38″N 123°06′23″W / 49.277227°N 123.106409°WCoordinates: 49°16′38″N 123°06′23″W / 49.277227°N 123.106409°W |
| Carries | 3 lanes of Georgia Street, 2 lanes of Dunsmuir Street, pedestrians and bicycles |
| Locale | Vancouver |
| Maintained by | City of Vancouver |
| Preceded by | Georgia Street Viaduct |
| History | |
| Opened | 1972 |
The Georgia Viaduct is a twinned bridge that acts as a flyover-like overpass in Vancouver, British Columbia. It passes between Rogers Arena and BC Place Stadium and connects Downtown Vancouver with Main Street and Strathcona.
History[edit]
The first Georgia Street Viaduct was built between 1913 and 1915. The narrow structure included streetcar tracks that were never used. At one point, every second lamppost was removed to reduce weight.[1] It was replaced in 1972 by the current viaduct, which is structurally separated and contains three lanes for each direction of traffic.
The current Georgia Viaduct was envisioned in the early 1970s as forming part of an extensive freeway system for Vancouver. However, communities were opposed to the idea of demolishing structures to build the freeway system and the plan was scrapped. The freeways would have required demolishing buildings in neighborhoods including Strathcona, the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown. A predominantly African community called Hogan's Alley was bulldozed in building the viaduct.
Traffic flow[edit]
The viaduct's eastbound traffic is fed from Georgia Street and leads vehicles to Prior Street and Main Street. The viaduct's westbound lanes—often referred to as Dunsmuir Viaduct because they connect to Dunsmuir Street—pass to the north of Rogers Arena. The westbound traffic comes from Prior Street and Main Street, and carries vehicles and pedestrians to Dunsmuir Street, downtown which feeds into Melville Street and eventually Pender Street.
Deadpool Filming[edit]
In April 2015, the viaduct was closed for two weeks to allow filming of the movie Deadpool, which is set to be released in February 2016.[2][3]
Demolition[edit]
On October 27, 2015, Vancouver City Council voted to demolish the twin viaducts.[4] A new six-lane road configuration that merges Expo and Pacific boulevards is in the planning stages. [5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Harris, Robert. "Bridges of Greater Vancouver". DiscoverVancouver.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
- ^ Judd, Amy (April 5, 2015). "Ryan Reynolds’ movie ‘Deadpool’ shuts down Georgia Viaduct for filming". Global News. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ McNary, Dave (September 18, 2014). "X-Men Spinoff ‘Deadpool’ to Hit Theaters Feb. 12, 2016". Variety. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/10/vancouver-viaducts-demolition-approved/
- ^ http://globalnews.ca/news/2291976/city-of-vancouver-debates-future-of-georgia-and-dunsmuir-viaducts/
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