An approximately four-month closure of a block of Vancouver’s Broadway corridor will begin later this month as construction on a subway extension continues. Starting at 7 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 26, East Broadway between Main and Quebec streets will be closed to all vehicle traffic, the province confirmed Friday. During the closure, traffic and buses will detour around the block using East 8th Avenue. Sidewalks will remain open and “access to businesses, services and residences will be maintained at all times,” the province said. Commuters are asked to use one of the other east-west routes to leave room for transit and local traffic on East 8th. After about four months, traffic will resume in one lane in each direction. The province says East Broadway will return to two lanes in each direction in the summer. The construction work includes dismantling the temporary traffic decks between Main and Quebec and repaving the street above the future Mount Pleasant Station. Construction will take place between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday with “occasional finishing work” possible outside those hours, according to the province. At the start of the closure, police will be present at intersections in the area “24/7” to direct traffic and “neighbourhood ambassadors” will be on the streets to help pedestrians navigate. “We know that construction can be disruptive, and we are working hard to minimize impacts in your neighbourhood. Thank you for your continued patience while we build this important transportation infrastructure project,” the province wrote in a notice. The subway is a 5.7-kilometre extension of the Millennium SkyTrain line and once completed will include six new underground stations between VCC-Clark Station and Broadway and Arbutus Street.
