A city promised to tear down its viaducts; a decade later, they still stand

There is a peculiar kind of patience required when a city promises to undo something it once built—a patience that can curdle into quiet frustration when a decade passes and the concrete still stands. In Vancouver, the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts have become that promise unkept: aging overpasses that city council voted to remove in 2015, yet continue to carry some 40,000 vehicles a day across a stretch of land that many believe could hold something better .

The viaducts were born of a vision that never fully materialized—a freeway that would have cut through downtown Vancouver before public opposition halted it in the 1970s. What remained were two elevated roads, seismically unsound and occupying prime real estate that now sits in a kind of civic limbo . More than a decade ago, council approved their removal and, three years later, unveiled the Northeast False Creek plan: a reimagining of the area with social and market housing, a large park, and space for legacy businesses.

Yet eleven years and two mayors later, the viaducts remain. Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, has described the delay as frustrating—a plan "sitting on a shelf" while the city moves on to other matters . He is part of a coalition of residents and businesses now working to make the viaducts' removal an issue in the upcoming municipal election, hoping to pressure the next mayor and council into action.

The coalition's argument rests on more than impatience. Petros Kusmu, a board member with the Hogan's Alley Society, points to a historic opportunity: both the provincial and federal governments are currently open to partnering on housing development . The longer the city waits, he suggests, the more expensive the project becomes—and the more the chance for affordable housing, community spaces, and support for the area's historic Black, Indigenous, and Chinese communities slips away.

The financial picture, however, is complicated. The Northeast False Creek plan was originally expected to be funded largely through revenue from condo developments in the area, but a cooling market has stalled those projects, leaving a significant gap . The city has said the plan's enactment depends "to a significant degree" on funding generated by redevelopment, and it is now exploring expanded development opportunities and senior government financing to cover the shortfall .

At least two mayoral candidates have signaled support for moving forward. Vancouver Greens candidate Pete Fry has said he is committed to making it happen but acknowledged the need for "a new financial model" . Vancouver Liberals candidate Kareem Allam has called for provincial involvement to accelerate demolition, framing the viaducts' removal as a pathway to new housing, employment spaces, and parks . Both recognize that the cost has escalated dramatically since the original $1.73 billion estimate in 2018 .

For the communities that were displaced decades ago to make room for the viaducts—and for those who now see the land as an opportunity for something more humane—the question is not merely about traffic flow. It is about whether a city can keep a promise it made to itself, and whether the space beneath concrete might yet become something that breathes.

Image disclaimer: The visuals accompanying this article are AI-generated and do not depict actual locations.

Sources: CBC News, Daily Hive Vancouver, City of Vancouver