City delivers major infrastructure upgrades in Dunbar Southlands and Arbutus Ridge

The City of Vancouver has completed major upgrades along West King Edward Avenue from Arbutus Street to Dunbar Street, delivering safer streets, reliable water and sewer services and greener public spaces for residents in Dunbar Southlands and Arbutus Ridge. 

Valued at $30 million, the West King Edward upgrades project was delivered under the 2023-26 Capital Plan. Through the Capital Plan, the City is making significant investments across our network of infrastructure and amenities to continue to enhance the livability, sustainability, and resilience of our city. This includes accelerating renewal of our aging water and sewer infrastructure. 

“Strong infrastructure is the foundation of a thriving city,” said Mayor Ken Sim. “By renewing our sewer and water systems, upgrading our streets and intersections and planting new green rainwater infrastructure, we’re creating safer, healthier neighbourhoods for everyone who lives, works and travels in Vancouver.” 

Delivering services residents and businesses rely on

This project delivers nearly 1.9 kilometres of new separated sewer pipes along West King Edward Avenue between Dunbar Street and Quesnel Drive and the surrounding area.  

Aging sewer infrastructure was replaced with a new, larger capacity separated sewers that can manage higher volumes of rainwater and sewage, reducing the risk for flooding and combined sewer overflows.

The project also includes nearly 1.6 kilometres of renewed drinking water pipe infrastructure with a life expectancy of approximately 100 years.

The new water and separated sewer pipe systems will serve residents and businesses in this growing area while supporting climate change adaptation.  

Greener, healthier streets

Green rainwater infrastructure (GRI) is another tool the City uses to manage increased amounts of rainfall. It captures rainwater and channels it to the ground, or to the nearby waterways. GRI, including over one hundred absorbent shrubs and plants, have been added to the median and boulevards along West King Edward Avenue as well as more than twenty trees along the Arbutus Greenway. Together, they are anticipated to capture 23,000 square metres of road runoff, protecting the surrounding waterway from pollutants and helping to prevent street-level flooding.  

Safer streets and intersections for pedestrians, motor vehicles and cyclists

Whether you walk, bike or roll, residents and visitors will feel safer and more comfortable traveling on West King Edward Avenue and the Arbutus Greenway.

In coordination with underground infrastructure improvements, and to promote safe and sustainable travel, we have made transportation improvements to the intersection of West King Edward Avenue and the Arbutus Greenway, including reconstructed curb ramps and medians to support greater accessibility and provide more space between pedestrians and cyclists.

These upgrades were made possible through a grant of $1 million  from TransLink.     

Additional transportation and safety improvements in the area include:

• Intersection improvements include new pedestrian signals at Balaclava, Collingwood, and Dunkirk Streets;
• Added pedestrian traffic signals at Collingwood Street and Maple Crescent;
• Upgraded signals and protected signal phasing at Arbutus Street and West King Edward Avenue   where turning lanes are given their own dedicated green arrow phase, and; 
• Converting East Boulevard to one-way northbound traffic to support safer traffic flow. 

Users of the Arbutus Greenway will also notice more physical separation between pedestrian and cyclists and more benches along the Greenway while cyclists will notice extended painted bike lanes from Arbutus Street and Quesnel Drive, supporting better connections to major routes throughout the city. 

Bus-users will notice upgraded bus stops which include extended pedestrian landing areas and reinforced concrete pads at various bus stops along West King Edward Avenue. The new bus stops also support new articulated buses.

The City thanks residents, businesses and commuters for their patience and cooperation while ongoing critical rehabilitation, renewal and development projects take place around the city.