Major upgrades coming to Stanley Park seawall

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – From seasonal battering to damage from large storms, the Stanley Park seawall has dealt with a lot.

Now, it’s getting the largest restoration in its 101 year history.

“Basically there’s going to be new cement added to it, the rocks will be put back in place, there’ll be some new ledges added to it,” explains Park Board Commissioner Michael Wiebe. “It’s just strengthening what we currently have and ensuring that we can actually grow when we do want to raise the seawall in the future.”

The face lift to the nine-kilometre seawall will be done in two phases. The first is expected to be done in August at a cost of $4.5 million.

“And that deals with the critical points that need to be done right away, and then the second phase will be a lot larger, actually, and that might look at increasing the height of the seawall.”

According to the Park Board, an independent assessment was done in both 2013 and 2016 and recommendations were made as to which areas were a high priority for repairs.

Wiebe says the board will try to minimize the impact on people trying to enjoy the seawall while work is done. “There’ll be different detours as it goes through, and we’ll make sure that we try to ensure the public gets to use the seawall as much as possible.”

During phase one, 100-metre sections will be temporarily merged and cyclists will need to dismount.

Wiebe adds repairs will increase the resiliency of the seawall against more aggressive storms.

Phase two has not yet been approved by the Board, but will begin shortly after the first is done if it passes.

The seawall was created in 1917 with “the goal of staving off erosion,” the Park Board says in a release. It took just more than 60 years to complete.

One of Vancouver’s most popular attractions, the seawall was extended out of Stanley Park starting in 1980 and is now 28 kilometres long.