I had a chat with Russ Davies, CEO of the Kitsilano 4th Avenue Business Improvement Association and got the scoop on the end of construction on West 4th. They’re done early, folks. And West 4th Avenue plans to celebrate. Join the merchants at the West 4th Shopping Party May 25 from 11am to 4pm. Details below in an article I wrote about it for the Westender.
West 4th roadwork ends ahead of schedule; shopping party to celebrate
By Taraneh Ghajar Jerven – WE Vancouver
Published: May 17, 2013 4:00 PM
Updated: May 17, 2013 5:17 PM
Large-scale city infrastructure projects are often associated with disruption and delays. The West 4th Avenue sewer upgrade, however, which is the biggest city infrastructure project in 2013, bucked the trend by finishing early.
In addition to sewers, West 4th’s retail and restaurant strip between Burrard and Balsam will sparkle in time for summer with repaved roads, new curbs and sidewalks, as well as wide wheelchair ramps sure to please the neighbourhood’s ample stock of parents with strollers.
“The sewer replacement project turned out to be a really great story of how things should go. A six-to-eight-month project was compressed into five months because of collaboration. The city’s going to use it as a model of how crews from different departments can work together simultaneously,” says Russ Davies, CEO of the Kitsilano 4th Avenue Business Improvement Association.
West 4th Avenue has been a Vancouver shopping destination since 1923. The sewer system that needed replacing was 100 years old. Although the construction crews had to work around ancient tree roots and the 120-year-old street car tracks that still lie under West 4th, they kept the street open for shopping during the duration construction January to May 2013.
The final touch — paving and road lines — takes place Sunday, May 19, from Burrard to Maple, and Monday, May 20, between Maple and Yew.
The Kitsilano 4th Avenue BIA is celebrating the successful end of renovations with a street-wide shopping party May 25. Guests have the chance to win a $500 shopping spree. Other deals include $10 West 4th gift cards for $5 available at a booth at 4th and Yew Street, DJs and street performances, meter “fare-ies” paying down select parking meters, and in-store shopping parties.
Find details on deals at Shopwest4th.com.
Last modified: May 22, 2013
