Sweeping 2010 air and road closures take effect

Two major routes in downtown Vancouver shut down Friday -- and will remain closed until the end of the Olympic Games. Jan. 29, 2010. (CTV)

Getting and in and out of Vancouver will be even harder beginning Friday, thanks to new Olympic road and air closures.

Starting Friday, Pacific and Expo Boulevards are now completely closed between Quebec Street and the Cambie Street Bridge to prepare for closures around the BC Place and Canada Hockey Place venues next month. The shutdown blocks access from Yaletown and Chinatown.

The popular commuting routes will remain closed off until the end of the Games on March 1.

The closures aren't limited to just road traffic.

Air space security restrictions began Friday over Vancouver and Whistler. Passenger screenings are now required for anyone flying to those destinations, including those taking short-haul flights from the Gulf Islands.

Air passengers from small B.C. communities must now fly to Nanaimo for screening before connecting to a Vancouver-bound flight.

Small airlines say the changes will cause delays and other inconveniences -- while boosting fuel costs -- and they hope a compensation package can be arranged.

More to come…

Next week, parking and stopping restrictions will be put in place on almost every major street across the city. In addition to multiple road closures, the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts will be blocked – meaning 20 per cent less road capacity in and out of downtown Vancouver.

"We'll need everybody to plan ahead and give themselves more travel time, but in particularly look towards using transit, if you're doing shorter trips look to walk and cycle," said Dale Bracewell of the City of Vancouver.

The road closures are part of a continuing effort by the City of Vancouver to reduce traffic leading into the 2010 Olympic Games.

Olympic organizers have said they want to reduce traffic by 30 per cent leading in to the Games in February.

They are encouraging commuters to take transit, walk, or cycle to work, and to consider changing their work hours to avoid Games peak times of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. from Feb. 12 to March 1.

More information about closures and transportation options can be found at the Travelsmart2010.ca website.

Details about venue area road closures can be found by clicking here.

With files from CTV British Columbia’s Stephen Smart and files from The Canadian Press