Vancouver Waterfront British Columbia - The new Centennial Road overpass on the Burrard Inlet waterfront in East Vancouver recently opened to container and port traffic, marking a major milestone for the Centerm terminal expansion.
 
This 600 metre long, two lane viaduct creates a direct, seamless, link from Vanterm terminal north of Grandview-Woodland to Centerm terminal, just east of downtown Vancouver.
 
It runs parallel to the City of Vancouver's 2014 built Powell Street overpass just south of the railway.
 
Additionally, the existing two lane Waterfront Road will receive a 600 metre eastward extension from its current end near Dunlevy Avenue to the westernmost end of the viaduct.

The Centennial Road overpass looking East - Date? Photographer?

The new viaduct and Waterfront Road extension create a continuous port road from Highway 1 to Canada Place.
 
However, to prevent this new waterfront route from unintentionally becoming a commuter route for the general public, this extended roadway will be traffic controlled, limited to the use of container trucks and port vehicles by an access control gate at the Main Street overpass.
 
The Centennial Road overpass, running immediately south of the historic Rogers Sugar refinery, was constructed to bypass railway tracks, reducing both rail and road congestion.
 
Later this month, the existing Heatley Avenue overpass will be permanently closed for demolition, which will occur in phases through Spring 2022.
 
As a result of the closure of the Heatley Avenue overpass, there will be a noticeable decrease in container truck traffic on city streets, including Hastings Street, Powell Street, Dundas Street, Nanaimo Street, and McGill Street.
 
"We are incredibly proud to announce the opening of the Centennial Road overpass, constructed by our design builder CXP. This marks an important milestone to improve the movement of goods in the Pacific gateway to support Canada's growing trade. The collaborative efforts between government and industry help to ensure Canada remains competitive on the world stage for years to come," said Cliff Stewart, vice president of infrastructure at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in a statement.
 
Road projects account for $78 million of the entire $320 million cost of the Centerm terminal expansion.

Phased demolition of the Heatley Avenue overpass - Date? Photographer?

Other major project components include a seven acre westward extension of the terminal footprint through a wharf structure and earth fill enclosed by rock dykes for a larger and reconfigured container and intermodal yard.
 
There is also an infill of the old Ballantyne pier terminal at the eastern end of Centerm, which was previously used as a cruise ship terminal for expanded container operations.
 
When the Centerm project is fully complete in 2022, the terminal's container capacity will increase by 66 percent, from 900,000 TEUs to 1.5 million TEUs.
 
The expansion will allow Centerm to better meet the long-term trajectory growth in shipping demand and the years-long global backlog due to COVID-19.
 
Centerm currently processes about 20 percent of the region's ship container traffic.

Centerm terminal expansion and improvements - Date? Cartographer?

Kenneth Chan.