New elevator escalator highlight upgraded Commercial Broadway Station
Written by jrood
Greater accessibility, better use of platform space and more natural light are features of the newly upgraded Commercial-Broadway Station on Vancouver's SkyTrain.
"This re-design
reflects how important Commercial-Broadway has become in recent years," says
TransLink CEO Tom Prendergast. "With more than 140,000 people passing through
this hub every day, we have needed to make greater use of the space we have and
enable people to use the system more efficiently."
When it was
first built, Broadway Station was not envisioned as a major transfer point, but
that has changed with the addition of the Millennium SkyTrain line and the
growth of the 99 B and #20 bus lines.
The
upgraded station features a new entrance off 10th Avenue, with an escalator and
elevator as well as stairs. This will make it easier for disabled customers –
particularly those using HandyDART – to get to and from the platform. Replacing
the north side elevator, which was in the center of the platform at the south
end of the overhead walkway across Broadway (Avenue), provides more space for
customers waiting for SkyTrain and eliminates tricky and potentially dangerous "dodging"
to get around the elevator shaft.
The upgrade
was completed more than two months ahead of time, and more than C$4 million
under budget at C$9.2 million. The provincial government provided C$4.27
million, with the remainder coming from TransLink and contributions from
Transport Canada and the City of Vancouver through the federal Urban
Transportation Showcase Program.
"
The
station is built according to CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental
Design) principles to improve safety and security. The glass wall on the
concourse level, which has replaced the metal mesh on the west wall, provides
more natural light and allows for better neighborhood surveillance. The new entrance
off 10th Avenue removes the "dead-end" on the ground floor. The electric
lighting is now at the same standard as that at Millennium Line stations (part
of an overall upgrade to the lighting along the Expo Line).
The station
has been designed as more of a community "focal point", especially when seen in
conjunction with the nearby community garden project, which opened in the past
year on a lot contributed by TransLink and the BC Rapid Transit Company. It is
expected that increasing the community element in the area will make the
station itself safer and more inviting.
The
upgrading of Commercial-Broadway Station is part of a general makeover planned
for the original Expo Line stations to meet the capacity needs of the Metro
Vancouver region. Plans for future phases, subject to funding, include a
doubling of platform capacity at Commercial-Broadway and renovations at Main
Street-Science World Station (including a new elevator on the east side).
