Time for Vancouver to Tear Down Its Viaducts?

[Tappen]

I thought it was painfully obvious. But I guess not.

Comparing Vancouver to Los Angeles is like comparing Victoria to Vancouver-there is no comparison. Los Angeles is six times the population of Vancouver and as it is, Vancouver has smog. Had Los Angeles not built all those freeways the smog would be even worse.

I'm having trouble with that. A less car-reliant, more compact Los Angeles would produce more smog? ...how?

[geoff's two cents]

Originally Posted by allan_kuan

You may want to state that clearly at the very bottom of the post in some hidden or italicized font. Few people would have been able to catch that sarcasm. = \

Righto. My sincere apologies, Allen.

[Metro-One]

Yeah, that is one of the things that sucks about these forums, no one can hear your tone, hehe.

[racc]

Originally Posted by sacrifice333

Tearing down the Dunsmuir and Georgia viaducts may make sense... but with the Spectrum development complete and heavily influenced by the existing viaducts... removal of those viaducts would significantly change that development and it's interaction with "street level".

hmm....

There is no reason why the entire length of the Viaducts would need to be torn down. Just keep the small portions by Spectrum. Problem solved. It is much more fun to think of solutions rather than excuses.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by racc

There is no reason why the entire length of the Viaducts would need to be torn down. Just keep the small portions by Spectrum. Problem solved. It is much more fun to think of solutions rather than excuses.

I'm still waiting for visuals and diagrams (ones that makes sense), as what many other members are waiting for.

[Dave2]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Cool - Thanks!



Note "Highway 401" on that map. That's when it was legitimately called the 401.

Back in the late 80s, just before the Cassiar tunnel was built, the Big Green Sign at the start of the freeway had a green maple leaf 401 sign showing, as the green maple leaf 1 sticker had fallen off.

re: this thread, an interesting photo from the VPL collection (why can't I find this on the web) from 1971 that shows the Georgia Viaduct with 2-way traffic, the 1915 era Hart McHarg viaduct awaiting demolition, and the pillars of the Dunsmuir Viaduct. Note the Gulf gas station next to the Armory

[Metro-One]

Wow, that is an amazing find, thanks Dave2.

[Zassk]

Look at the railyards in that picture - it really puts the evolution of downtown in perspective.

[Dave2]

Originally Posted by Zassk

Look at the railyards in that picture - it really puts the evolution of downtown in perspective.

The 1915 viaduct was constructed over water

There's many interesting photos at the Vancouver Archives site, this shot has downtown in the background

[Dave2]

Site of Stadium Skytrain station

[Stingray2004]

Originally Posted by Dave2

Nice find! I've always wondered how the Georgia Viaduct could have a perfectly straight connection to Georgia St. when the old viaduct was still extant. And there's your answer. The old Georgia viaduct was offset from Georgia St. at the top of the escarpment.

At the Vancouver archives last week, newspaper clippings showed the new Georgia Viaduct was temporarily two-lane eastbound/ one-lane westbound, with the eastbound lanes only permitted to utilize the Main St. off-ramp.

I also stumbled across a letter from Mayor Tom Campbell apologizing to then Archbishop James Carney for the "rabble-rousing" hippies at the official opening. Photos showed your stereotypical 1960's hippies with protest signs heckling Campbell and Carney who were in the official opening vehicle.

[Stingray2004]

For those proponents of tearing down the viaducts, why is there also not a proposal to tear down the Hemlock/Fir St. on/off ramps to the Granville Street Bridge?

The Granville Street Bridge has the ghosts of a 1950's freeway design written all over it.

The Fir Street off-ramp (viaduct) itself is relatively not that much shorter than the Georgia viaducts.

Also, getting rid of the loop ramps would free-up a cornucopia of land to construct some high-density towers.



Source: Pricetags

[CBeats]

Originally Posted by allan_kuan

You may want to state that clearly at the very bottom of the post in some hidden or italicized font. Few people would have been able to catch that sarcasm. = \

Hahaha I can't believe how many people didn't understand his post! I thought it was hilarious, but then there are all the responses taking his post literally...come on guys! It's not that difficult to figure out what sarcasm is... Ps- in that pic of the granville street bridge, you can see the old straight bridge that goes right across granville island. Removing it must have had quite an impact on the area

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Stingray2004

For those proponents of tearing down the viaducts, why is there also not a proposal to tear down the Hemlock/Fir St. on/off ramps to the Granville Street Bridge?

The Granville Street Bridge has the ghosts of a 1950's freeway design written all over it.

The Fir Street off-ramp (viaduct) itself is relatively not that much shorter than the Georgia viaducts.

Also, getting rid of the loop ramps would free-up a cornucopia of land to construct some high-density towers.



Source: Pricetags

Everything you say is true. I have a question, though. The current on-ramp and off-ramp traffic at fir and hemlock?

If you take awy the viaducts, bridge access locally will still be in high demand

How do you see your rerouting of vehicular traffic, to and from downtown, in your plan?

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by CBeats

Ps- in that pic of the granville street bridge, you can see the old straight bridge that goes right across granville island. Removing it must have had quite an impact on the area

You can also see, to the west, the old railway bridge, which survived all the way to the early 1980s.

You can see it in this 1982 photo: http://www.globalairphotos.com/large...own/1982/071/2

[biketrouble]

Originally Posted by Stingray2004

why is there also not a proposal to tear down the Hemlock/Fir St. on/off ramps to the Granville Street Bridge?

Personally - can you guess - I would be all over that, or at least discussing the pros and cons. I live pretty close to the Fir Street ramp and it is quite the blight on the landscape. I can see the logic of trying disperse traffic to Broadway, 12th and 16th, instead of having it all heading up Granville, but on the other hand doing that by feeding it all onto a residential street doesn't seem like the best idea the city ever had.

Still, bit of a straw man attempt - supporting demolishing one viaduct does not imply that one has to support demolishing every viaduct or onramp everywhere.

[Millennium2002]

Looking at these photos it really amazes me to see how much Vancouver has changed since its founding... and especially the change it underwent over the last thirty years. It's a real eye-opener. O.O =O

[racc]

Originally Posted by allan_kuan

Looking at these photos it really amazes me to see how much Vancouver has changed since its founding... and especially the change it underwent over the last thirty years. It's a real eye-opener. O.O =O

Viaducts come and viaducts go. The old pictures show the reasons why the Viaducts were built, they crossed railyards and water. With both of those gone, there is little need for them anymore.

[GeeCee]

Originally Posted by racc

Viaducts come and viaducts go. The old pictures show the reasons why the Viaducts were built, they crossed railyards and water. With both of those gone, there is little need for them anymore.

Unless you want to travel east or west into/out of the downtown peninsula by bus or private vehicle..

[East Van]

Does anyone have links to pictures of Grandview Hwy north when it use to be an artery ? I think I remember a 3 way interchange somewhere west of Renfrew decades ago. Its like it should of continued west of Clark with something that didn't get built.