Section of Vancouver Seawall closed ‘indefinitely’ following structural assessment

A section of Vancouver’s seawall near science world has been fenced off for the foreseeable future.

A stretch of the Vancouver Seawall through False Creek has been closed “indefinitely” following a structural assessment, officials announced this week.

The section of the Seawall running from the Creekside Community Centre to Science World was cordoned off Tuesday afternoon, pending further notice, the city said in an information bulletin.

“As soon as our investigators or consultants observed the cracks, they advised us to close the deck immediately,” Lon LaClaire, the city’s general manager of Engineering, told CTV News.

The section is investigated annually, LaClaire said, as it’s technically a temporary structure that was built in 1984 ahead of Expo ‘86.

Four decades after its construction, the deck which is built on concrete panels, is showing its age.

“We’ll find out more as to whether or not there is any real safety concern here,” said LaClaire. “We may be reopening the deck, or we may be able to use portions of the deck.”

Consultants have warned the structure is nearing the end of its service life and planning for the deck’s eventual deconstruction is underway, with work expected to begin in 2028.

During the Seawall closure, detours for pedestrians and cyclists will be available along Ontario, Quebec and Switchmen streets. Cyclists are asked to “dismount or slow their roll” on a portion of the detour that uses a pedestrian path between Ontario and Switchmen, the city said.

Access to the dinghy dock south of Science World has also been closed, as has a “small portion” of the north deck between the popular family attraction and the Creekside Park Playground.

The city could not provide a timeline for its investigation. But it will mean delaying the East Park project.

Consultation for the planned green space behind the section of now-closed seawall began a year and half ago.

The first phase beside False Creek Community Centre has been completed.

The second phase does not include the seawall deck, according to Tom Digby, a park board commissioner with the Vancouver Green party.

“We really do need to work with the city on this because it’s a large and significant park area that people love,” said Digby.” But the deck is a real question about what should become of it.”

“It could be removed, it could be replaced or it could be significantly upgraded.”

Digby said he’d like to see water access for visitors, hoping the water will one day be safe enough for people to swim in.

“The city thanks the public for their patience during this closure and for their co-operation in using the detour paths,” the information bulletin reads.