With hints in the etherwaves about glimmers of possibilities being raised in idle speculation about the Arbutus Greenway, here are a few concrete and steel examples of overpasses for people on foot or on a bike from elsewhere in Metro Vancouver.
Thanks to PT commenter Ian Mass for telling me about these two overpasses in Burnaby, and “Don” for info about the Pioneer Ped Bridge in Surrey.
Griffiths Pedestrian Bridge: Griffiths Dr. roughly at 14th Avenue, Burnaby. Near the Edmonds Skytrain Station.
Crosses Sperling Ave where it emerges from Winston St. Near the Sperling / Burnaby Lake Skytrain Station. Joins (for travel in BOTH directions ) to the Central Valley Greenway.
The Spirit Trail in North Vancouver, crossing railroad tracks and heading south near the intersection of W 1st Street and MacKay Road.
. . . the bridge acts as a prominent gateway, eliminates a key missing link in the Pioneer Greenway, and connects communities and amenities together.
The design of the 3-metre-wide, 73-metre-long bridge utilizes the gentle slope of the site’s natural topography and includes careful detailing to create a light and elegant appearance. It also includes a nighttime LED lighting component that gradually changes colour over 10-minute intervals, as well as variable light shows that depend on the season and special dates.
When I moved to Vancouver, I was surprised by how few underpasses and overpasses there were with level crossings on arterial roads. The level crossing on Union St is often blocked in the early evening, but fortunately there is a pedestrian bridge two blocks north.
http://perkinswill.com/work/pioneer-pedestrian-bridge
Pioneer overpass in Surrey over hwy 99. Check out videos online to see the lighting in action.
http://perkinswill.com/work/tynehead-pedestrian-bridge.html
Tynehead overpass over hwy 1 in Surrey.
The Pioneer overpass, which is pretty close to the border, is a landmark gateway for travellers driving north on Hwy 99 from Washington State.