Georgia Viaduct
49°16′38″N 123°06′23″W / 49.277227°N 123.106409°W
The Georgia Viaduct (referred to locally as "the viaduct") is a twinned bridge that acts as a flyover-like overpass in Vancouver, British Columbia. It passes between GM Place and BC Place Stadium and connects Downtown Vancouver with Strathcona. The first Georgia Street Viaduct was built in 1913-15 and was designed to handle six lanes of traffic. It was replaced in 1972 by the current viaduct, which also handles six lanes, structurally separated by traffic direction.
Traffic flow
The viaduct's eastbound traffic is fed from Georgia Street and leads vehicles to Prior Street and Main Street. The viaduct's westbound lanes-- occasionally referred to as Dunsmuir Viaduct due to a short gap between them and the eastbound lanes-- pass to the north of GM Place. The westbound traffic comes from Prior Street and Main Street, and carries vehicles and pedestrians to Dunsmuir Street, downtown which feeds into Melville Street and eventually Pender Street.
Vancouver freeway plan
The current Georgia Viaduct was envisioned in the early 1970s as forming part of an extensive freeway system for Vancouver. However, there was opposition to the required relocation of communities and the plan was scrapped. Areas of Strathcona, the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown would have had to have been bulldozed. A predominantly African community called Hogan's Alley was relocated in building the viaduct.
See also
References
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