Will this stretch of seawall really take 7 years to fix? Vancouver says no, admits to 'poor communication'
After the seawall by Science World was abruptly closed, a release implied it would be repaired by 2032
The City of Vancouver is admitting it could have done a better job explaining its plan to replace a section of the seawall that had to be closed indefinitely due to safety concerns, and it's promising a workaround by the start of summer.
"A bit of poor communication on our part," said City of Vancouver general manager of engineering services Lon LaClaire in an interview with CBC News.
"It's not going to be 2032. I'm pretty sure it's going to be much, much quicker than that."
In early February, the city announced the closure of a 200-metre stretch of the seawall from Science World to the Olympic Village after a structural assessment revealed potential safety concerns with continued use.
The city also closed a wide swath of land right next to the walking and bike paths and announced a 400-metre detour that went through Quebec Street — a busy arterial — without committing to any alternative detour options.
WATCH | Better seawall detour to come by summer, says City of Vancouver:
Finally, it provided no timeline for replacing the unsafe portion, allowing only that "the planning work for deconstruction is underway, with on-site work planned for 2028-2032."
Since the closure on Feb. 4, the city had given no updates, as criticism from some members of the public grew.
Limited options for detour, says LaClaire
When asked for comment before LaClaire's interview, Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung said the lack of details was concerning.
"What people want to know is what is the plan to either reconstruct or provide an alternative so people can have uninterrupted, continuous access to the Vancouver seawall," she said.
"Waiting years and years just for deconstruction and having people walk around on the road, I don't think it's acceptable. I think we can do better."
LaClaire said the original 2028-2032 timeline was in the annual capital infrastructure plan based on the city's previous budget for fixing it — when it was assumed the aging wooden pylons underneath the deck surrounding Science World would last several more years.
WATCH | Seawall section off limits over safety concerns:
But when the structural assessment revealed it needed to be closed immediately, it didn't allow time for council to pass a new capital plan or find a creative solution to reconnect the seawall.
"The options for a detour were really limited," said LaClaire.
"It's far from ideal, but it was the best we could come up with at a moment's notice. And it is one of those things when we get an indication from our consultants that kind of say that we should do this immediately, we take it very seriously."
When directly asked, a city spokesperson said there were no formal notes or staff reports to council connected to the decisions made around the closure or detour.
Better planning needed, says councillor
LaClaire said there was no immediate alternative because the lawn next to the closed-off deck hadn't been given a safety assessment, and they didn't want to use the parking lot south of it because it would negatively impact Science World.
The city has since learned the lawn is safe for the additional traffic of a detour, but LaClaire said there had been a debate over finding a way to get heavy equipment in place to create a paved path.
However, now the city seems more inclined to act quickly.
"The keenness of my team to deliver a really great path is certainly one of the struggles that we have as leadership sometimes," said LaClaire, who said meetings about the project would happen Friday and next week.
"Do we need to get it in perfect condition to vastly improve what the detour looks like right now? I'm looking to do something sooner, say not as good as we want it to be, but sooner."
Something that will likely please plenty of cyclists and councillors alike.
"Access to the seawall is something that is quintessentially Vancouver," said Kirby-Yung.
"I think we need to get better at planning for knowing that this infrastructure is going to age out and what is going to be the replacement."
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