After years of planning, the project to build the new Holdom Avenue overpass above the Canadian National Railway and Still Creek through Brentwood Town Centre in Burnaby will proceed.
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced today that construction on the new roadway overpass will begin in late 2024.
This follows the port authority’s recent selection of Aecon-Gateway Infrastructure Group as the project’s design-build contractor.
This will be a brand new overpass with four vehicle lanes — two in each direction — and protected wide bike lanes on both roadway directions, and a dedicated pedestrian pathway. The bridge deck will also feature designated “lookout” areas for views of Still Creek and the surrounding area.
Through the overpass, there will be improved active transportation connections between SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Holdom Station just north of the overpass and the Central Valley Greenway pathway just south of the overpass.
Additionally, there will be public art — including First Nations cultural signage and decorative columns and railings — and improved landscaping will be installed in the Still Creek and Beecher Creek areas.
Burnaby Rail Corridor Improvements Project components. (Port of Vancouver)
Existing condition:
Existing Douglas Road ground-level crossing at the Canadian National Railway in Brentwood in Burnaby. (Google Maps)
Future site of the Holdom Overpass in Burnaby. (Port of Vancouver)
Future condition:
Artistic rendering of the Holdom Overpass in Burnaby. (Port of Vancouver)
Holdon Avenue overpass design. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
Holdon Avenue overpass design. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
The overpass will fully replace the existing Douglas Road ground-level railway crossing, which is increasingly problematic for vehicle traffic congestion due to the growing frequency of long-passing freight and passenger trains. The existing four-lane Douglas Road segment that crosses the railway is about 300 metres west of the future Holborn Avenue site.
The new overpass will extend southwards from the current southern end of Holdom Avenue to connect with the existing segment of Douglas Road — at the intersection of Douglas Road and Norland Avenue — on the south side of the railway.
“The new overpass will create critical capacity and resiliency in the gateway, ensuring that we can enable Canada’s trade more reliably and efficiently while also delivering tremendous benefits to the local community in Burnaby,” said Peter Xotta, president and CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in a statement today.
Holdon Avenue overpass design. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
Holdon Avenue overpass design. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
Holdon Avenue overpass design. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
According to the port authority, the overpass will increase the rail capacity for the Port of Vancouver terminals on both the north and south sides of Burrard Inlet. It is also the only rail connection for the port facilities on the North Shore via the Thornton Tunnel and the Second Narrows Rail Bridge. This particular railway through Burnaby’s geographic core is said to move over 40 million metric tonnes of export cargo, accounting for over 40% of the port’s total international exports in 2023.
By creating a fully grade-separated roadway, railway operations will improve not only in capacity but also safety and reliability by eliminating a variable point for potential conflicts between trains, vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Existing road network condition via the Douglas Road crossing. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
Holdon Avenue overpass design. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
Additionally, the project achieves the City of Burnaby’s long-term transportation goal of improving walking and cycling connections, travel times, emergency response options and safety, and reducing vehicle idling waiting in gridlock.
The municipal government first envisioned the Holdom Avenue overpass over 40 years ago.
“We are excited to see the Holdom Overpass project moving forward, as it will make Burnaby more connected and accessible for everyone,” said Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley in a statement.
“Whether you are driving, taking transit, walking or biking, everyone will benefit from this infrastructure upgrade that will reduce travel times and improve safety in our community.”
Holdon Avenue overpass design. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
Holdon Avenue overpass design. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
Screenshot
Holdon Avenue overpass design. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
The port authority told Daily Hive Urbanized the new Holdom Avenue overpass will carry a total construction cost of $200 million — up from its pre-pandemic cost estimate of $145 million, following a steep rise in market construction costs since Spring 2022.
In early 2020, just before the pandemic, construction was expected to begin in 2022 for a completion in 2024.
The project is jointly funded by the port authority, the federal government, and the City of Burnaby.
Construction will begin before the end of this year and is anticipated to be completed in 2027. Upon the opening of the overpass, it will become a public road asset owned and operated by the municipal government, and the existing Douglas Road crossing will be permanently closed and decommissioned.