A dangerous stretch of road that many South Burnaby resident call neglected is getting a big upgrade.
A recent city staff report details upgrade plans for Marine Drive from Boundary Road to Patterson Avenue and from Sussex Avenue to Byrne Road with a budget of more than $6.7 million.
First up is a conceptual design.
“The conceptual design will provide geometrics for the ultimate road upgrade to provide curb, gutter, sidewalks and utilities,” says the report. “Intersection improvements including geometry and signalization will be part of this project. The city is initiating detailed civil design for the first phase, which is Marine Drive, between Boundary Road and Greenall Avenue. This project will bring the street to the urban street standard, including multi-use path along the north side of the street, sidewalk along the south side of the street, roadway including curb and gutter, retaining walls, new bus bays, street lighting, parking accommodations, storm sewer upgrades, sanitary service upgrades, and water main upgrades. The goal of this project is to improve traffic operations, accessibility and safety for all users.”
According to a city statement issued to the NOW in May 2019, this is a “very complex” project, with about 3.7 kilometres of work needed.
“It’s an area with steep grades on both sides of Marine Drive – hills to the north side along Sussex and Gilley, for instance, can give you a sense of the terrain,” said a statement from the city.
The city says this work is far different from sidewalks that have recently been added on Rumble Street, which is mainly flat.
The city is calling the Marine project adding an “urban trail” on the north side of Marine and a new sidewalk on the south side, meaning “there will be the need for retaining walls in many areas and re-grading of driveways.
“It’s also a major east-west traffic connector, so we’re looking at phasing the project in a way that minimizes traffic impacts.”
This will be a “high-impact project,” says the city and so extensive public consultations are planned.
“The current estimate for the project is seven years and may be subject to change as the city works through the design stage to seek opportunities to expedite the project,” said the statement.
