East Sidewalk of Ironworkers Memorial Bridge Now Double Width and Open For Cyclists and Pedestrians; West Sidewalk Closed

In a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday on the south end of Ironworkers Memorial (Second Narrows) bridge, representatives of the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure and HUB Cycling re-opened the east sidewalk after more than a year of construction to remove hazardously narrow fencing and otherwise improve safety.

MLAs Jane Thornthwaite (North Van-Seymour) and Richard Lee (Burnaby North), representing Minister Todd Stone, stood alongside Antje Wahl, HUB Cycling North Shore Committee chair, and Arno Schortinghuis, HUB Cycling past president and Regional Advisory Council co-chair, to reveal the widened and improved sidewalk.

Pedestrians and cyclists now have more than double the space to share on the new 2.5-metre-wide sidewalk, as well as energy efficient LED lighting and a 3 metre-high safety fence.

The new sidewalk is temporarily designated for two-way traffic while work crews begin construction to increase the width of the west sidewalk, which is expected to be closed through to fall 2015. Upon completion, both sidewalks will be shared for both walking and cycling, and become one-way.

“The new sidewalk is pretty awesome,” said Wahl, among the first to cycle along the new east sidewalk. “Having to deal with the very narrow west sidewalk the past year was a challenge for commuters, but this is an exciting step towards a complete link between the North Shore, Vancouver and Burnaby. We can’t wait to for project completion in the fall.” 

Improvements to the east sidewalk are part of larger efforts from organizations like HUB, the British Columbia Cycling Coalition and community groups to improve the safety of the bridge for over two decades. 

Project updates can be found on the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure website.

Photos from the ribbon-cutting ceremony can be seen on the HUB Facebook page.