Businesses cautiously optimistic after Minister meeting on Broadway road closure

On the second day of a four-month full closure of a block of East Broadway for SkyTrain construction, B.C. Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth met with the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association and local businesses; the MPBIA called itself 'cautiously optimistic' after he agreed to raise their concerns with cabinet.

On the second day of a scheduled four-month full road closure of a block of East Broadway between Main and Quebec streets, B.C. Transportation and Transit Minister Mike Farnworth met with the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association and a group of local business representatives. The closure began this week to allow crews to remove a temporary traffic bridge deck above the Mount Pleasant Station construction site. TransLink buses and general vehicle traffic are detouring one block north onto East 8th Avenue, and temporary signals and concrete barriers have been installed. Pedestrian access to the businesses on the affected block remains open, though signage is partly obscured by barriers and fencing. Key points: - The full road closure is scheduled to last about four months, with at least one lane in each direction planned to be restored when the work is complete. - Minister Mike Farnworth met with MPBIA and local business representatives and said he will raise their concerns with the provincial cabinet. - MPBIA described itself as "cautiously optimistic" after the meeting and noted there is currently no dedicated provincial program to compensate businesses for expected losses. - The work is needed to remove a temporary traffic bridge deck that was installed in April 2022 above the Mount Pleasant Station construction site. - The provincial government has not announced how it will remove the remaining temporary traffic decks at other Broadway stations, and the Millennium Line extension to Arbutus is scheduled to open in Fall 2027. Summary: The meeting gave businesses a direct chance to press for urgent financial relief while the four-month closure affects vehicle access and site operations, and MPBIA said the disruption compounds years of prior impacts. Minister Farnworth has committed to raise the concerns with cabinet, but no provincial compensation program has been announced. Undetermined at this time.