Les exposés écrits du congrès ont été publiés dans la langue dans laquelle ils ont été soumis à l’ATC.
Large scale construction projects can often create major traffic impacts, and in Vancouver, BC, the Broadway Subway Project (BSP) has been no exception. Five new stations are being built along Broadway, a major throughfare that is also used by Canada’s busiest bus route, the 99 B-Line. This express bus route saw 17.791 million annual boardings in 2019, and a portion of its route would be replaced by the BSP SkyTrain extension.
To facilitate construction of this extension, seven blocks at key intersections along Broadway were excavated to depths of 60ft and were covered with temporary traffic decks that allowed street operations to continue. However, even with the decks, the needs of adjacent construction meant narrower conditions for wide city buses. It was not long before CMBC (TransLink’s bus operating company) started receiving reports of bus damage and other operational concerns.
To address this emerging problem, a working group was formed, consisting of representatives from TransLink, CMBC, The City of Vancouver, Province (project owner), and ProjectCo (project contractor). The group prioritized three key objectives:
- Improve Overall Safety (for both the Contractor and bus operator)
- Increase Bus Reliability, and
- Reduce Bus Damage.
To achieve these objectives, the group took a multi-faceted approach:
- Ride Alongs – the group would board a 60ft articulated bus and travel through the Broadway corridor, keenly observing any dangers, risks, or obstacles along the way. Any observed issues were actioned and promptly resolved.
- Open Houses – the working group would attend Open Houses at the bus depot, welcoming operators on their shift with coffee and treats, to help create dialogue about the project.
- Incident Report Code – a dedicated CIR code for operators to use on any BSP-related issues on Broadway Corridor
- Opportunity Improvement Tracker – a list of all issues and concerns raised, along with resolution action for project team to see that work is being done to address issues being raised.
- BSP Notice Board – at the bus depot, CMBC established a BSP Notice Board where supervisors would post upcoming traffic changes on Broadway or issue updates on action take to address concerns raised. This notice board significantly improved bus operators’ interest and engagement on the project.
These approaches resulted in a significant reduction in reportable damage to buses and construction equipment and related traffic delay. They also resulted in a more trusting and effective relationship between the many stakeholders. Join us as we explore in detail the methods used, the results achieved, and the lessons learned along the way.