The B.C. government is touting the reopening of a stretch of Broadway in Vancouver as “ahead of schedule,” even though the broader Broadway Subway Project was supposed to be completed by now. Sidewalk work is still underway, but cars moved freely on four lanes between Main and Quebec streets on Thursday, following months of construction. The relief for drivers, though, will be short-lived. Broadway is scheduled to close to vehicles again, this time a few blocks away between Alberta and Cambie streets. The shut down will happen after the FIFA World Cup wraps, and is expected to last about six months while construction on the SkyTrain extension continues. Businesses along and near the corridor are preparing for the next phase of disruption, including those on West 8th Avenue where traffic will be rerouted and parking removed. “It keeps getting kicked down the road a little bit, but we knew it was coming,” said Jake Giammarino, owner of Discover Dogs. “Between parking for our guests and clients and parking for our deliveries, and just general flow of traffic, yeah, we’re not that excited about it,” he said. TransLink said some bus stops will need to be temporarily relocated, but details are still being worked out with the province and the City of Vancouver. The 5.7-kilometre Broadway Subway extension is now scheduled to open sometime next year.
