The B.C. government says the opening of Vancouver’s Broadway Subway project has been delayed by another year, and is scheduled to be in service fall 2027.
For about four years, the province has been building a SkyTrain extension underneath Broadway, a major street that runs east to west in Vancouver.
While construction hasn’t closed Broadway long-term, local businesses say the construction has impeded access to storefronts and affected profits.
Now, B.C.’s Transport Ministry says the extension to the SkyTrain line will be operational by 2027, after tunneling and excavation under the busy corridor took longer than expected.
“I understand people are disappointed,” said Lisa Gow, associate vice president for the Broadway Subway Project. “But [the project] is going to make a massive difference to the Broadway community.”
The Broadway Subway Project aims to extend the SkyTrain’s existing Millienium Line by 5.7 kilometres, from VCC-Clark station to Arbutus Street.
According to Gow, tunneling underneath the existing Canada Line, relocating major utilities and installing traffic decks to keep Broadway open for vehicles means construction is taking longer than planned.
The City of Vancouver has previously said the Broadway corridor is B.C.’s second-largest jobs centre, an emerging innovation and research hub, and home to fast-growing residential communities.
Construction first started on the subway extension in 2020, when the B.C. government estimated the subway line would open after five years. In 2022, the government said the project opening had been delayed until 2026 by a five-week concrete workers’ strike.
Business owners say delays hurt
Owners of businesses along Broadway say the delays are affecting their bottom line. Chloe Fike, a sales associate at Odin Books, said construction has blocked off access to the sidewalk from Main Street.
“It’s really confusing to try and figure out how to get over here,” she said. “It has been impacting people being able to discover our store and being able to find us.”
Sentheepan Senthivel, owner of Green’s Organic and Natural Market, says construction has decreased foot traffic in the area. He estimates he’s lost 40 per cent of sales every year since construction began.
“We’ve lost a tremendous amount of money that we probably won’t be able to come back from,” Senthival said. “The store is my dream, so I’m not going to let it die without a fight. But we haven’t had any help from the province, the city or the federal government.”
Senthival says he’s hoping businesses affected by the construction can get a tax break to help manage their decrease in sales.
Gow said that’s not likely to happen.
“The province doesn’t provide compensation for businesses or residents during construction,” she said.
Gow added that the province is committed to ensuring businesses are accessible and visible from street level, and will work with businesses to make sure their signage can be seen from the street.