Have you ever wondered how Boundary Road, the municipal border between Vancouver and Burnaby, is operated and maintained?
In a collaborative effort to maintain one of the region’s key thoroughfares, the City of Vancouver and the City of Burnaby have established a shared approach to managing Boundary Road for more than three decades.
This arterial road, which serves as a crucial regional route, requires coordinated upkeep to ensure safety and functionality for residents and commuters alike. The arrangement outlines how maintenance responsibilities will be divided, aiming to streamline operations and enhance the efficiency of road care across city boundaries.
Both municipal governments began establishing a shared maintenance contract in 1992, when the provincial government approved bylaws enabling the cities to share responsibilities.
The initial 1992 contract between the two cities also coincided with the provincial government’s opening of Highway 1’s Cassiar Tunnel that same year. Prior to the construction of the 0.7-km-long freeway tunnel immediately east of Hastings Park, Highway 1’s freeway traffic streamed through the narrow city street of Cassiar Street and crossed through intersections and traffic lights, including a traffic light-controlled intersection with Hastings Street. The previous street-level configuration of the highway contributed to high vehicle traffic volumes on other roads such as Adanac Street, Hastings Street, Rupert Street, and Boundary Road.
The Boundary Road contract was subsequently renewed about every five years — in 1998, 2003, 2008, 2014, and 2019. Over the years, the contract has remained consistent with few changes, and both cities have noted a good working relationship over the years on the matter of Boundary Road.
The latest agreement will expire on October 27, 2024, and it is set to be renewed with a new contract through October 27, 2029.
The full length of Boundary Road between Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River, doubling as the municipal border separating Vancouver and Burnaby. (Google Maps)
According to the agreements over the years, there is a 50-50 cost sharing between the municipal governments for the maintenance works of the 10-km-long, north-south road between Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River, which is up to six vehicle lanes wide in some segments. As well, most of the road’s length features a centre grassy median.
The agreement also enables the crews of Vancouver and Burnaby to occasionally undertake the maintenance work beyond their jurisdictional boundaries in order to fulfill each municipality’s responsibilities as outlined in the agreement.
For instance, the maintenance responsibilities are clearly delineated for the upkeep of grassy areas, sidewalks, hard surfaces, and trees on the centre medians and traffic islands. The City of Vancouver oversees Boundary Road’s centre medians and traffic islands north of Lougheed Highway, while the City of Burnaby oversees south of Lougheed Highway.
Vancouver is responsible for the yellow painted traffic line of the portion of Boundary Road not divided by raised medians, as well as the pedestrian and vehicle overpasses and the traffic and pedestrian signal plant.
Looking north on Boundary Road at the intersection with Trinity Street. (Google Maps)
For the street lighting of Boundary Road, Vancouver handles the upkeep of street lights between 29th Avenue and Price Street, as well as between Kingsway and near the Fraser River. For the remaining sections — between near Burrard Inlet and 29th Avenue, and between Price Street and Kingsway — the responsibility is shared. In these shared areas, the maintenance duties are split according to which side of the municipal boundary the street lights are located on, ensuring that each city maintains the lights within its jurisdiction.
As for splitting operating and maintenance costs, each municipal government bills the other jurisdiction 50% of the maintenance costs incurred, including labour, materials, and equipment, as well as the electricity costs for traffic signals and street lighting. There is also a normal overhead charge of 15%.
For nearly 50 years, the most prominent visual landmark for the dividing line separating Vancouver and Burnaby is the L-shaped, 21-storey Telus “Boot” office tower at the northeast corner of the intersection of Boundary Road and Kingsway.
However, in the foreseeable future, the Boot office tower will be dwarfed by five new additional surrounding additional towers between 31 and 64 storeys in height, built on the vehicle parking lots of the property. A 10-storey base podium of the Boot fronting Boundary Road will also be demolished to accommodate the footprint of one of the towers.
The resulting Central Park Commons, the name of the redevelopment, will consist of approximately 2,535 homes and about 43,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant uses. The existing office space will decrease from 687,000 sq ft to 512,000 sq ft from the partial demolition of the 1976-built office building.
Existing condition of the Telus Boot:
Existing condition of the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Google Maps)
Future condition of the Telus Boot as part of the Central Park Commons complex:
Artistic rendering of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)
Artistic rendering of Central Park Commons at the Telus Boot at 3777-3791 Kingsway, Burnaby. (Arcadis/PC Urban)