Starting tomorrow (Saturday, February 17) there will be downtown road closures and sidewalk restrictions in the area around Granville and Dunsmuir streets to enable safe helicopter transport of industrial-sized cooling tower units. Various materials along with the cooling tower units – which will be used for air conditioning – will be moved to and from the roof of a building at 609 Granville Street. Work is expected to be completed on Saturday, but there is potential for helicopter work and accompanying closures to extend into Sunday.
The helicopter operation will be coordinated by True Course Solutions acting on behalf of Vancouver Island Helicopters. The operation will make over 15 flights to and from the building. Weather permitting, each flight will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete and the largest piece of equipment being lifted will weigh about 5,500 pounds.
Access to residences and businesses will be retained while this operation is underway, however, there may be. Residents and business users may experience intermittent helicopter noise from the helicopter as well as street, sidewalk and bus service impacts in the area.
Impacted areas and closure details:
- All bus service on Granville Street north of the Granville Street Bridge will be re-routed to Seymour Street (northbound) and Howe Street (southbound).
- Granville Street north of West Georgia Street will be closed to all commercial vehicle traffic (e.g. taxis, delivery trucks and ride-hailing vehicles).
- Sidewalk and building access at 609 Granville will be restricted.
- Intersections along Granville St at Dunsmuir, West Pender, West Hastings and West Cordova streets will remain open except for intermittent closures when the helicopter is flying over the street.
- SkyTrain service will not be affected.
- Work is expected to be completed in one day on Saturday, February 17th between 8 am and 4:30 pm. However, there is a possibility that work will extend into Sunday.
Traffic tips:
- If you are travelling in and around the area, plan ahead and expect delays.
- VPD will be onsite directing traffic. Please follow all detours and abide by “No Parking” signs in the area. Restrictions will be lifted when the operation is complete.
- Follow #VanTraffic or use our traffic cameras to check traffic conditions along your commute.
- Visit translink.ca/alerts External website, opens in new tab for changes or disruptions to your bus service.