As Broadway gets torn up for the new Broadway SkyTrain section, the City is launching a marketing campaign to keep businesses there going over the next few years.
During construction of the new transit infrastructure along Broadway, businesses will remain open. The campaign, which will include advertisements from the city on social media over the coming years, aims to mitigate some of the impact construction will have on in-person shopping. The project has already begun and is expected to wrap up in 2025.
The campaign follows feedback the City received after the construction of the Canada Line in the mid-2000s. During that project many raised issues with the impact on traffic in the area.
“As construction gets going, it’s important that people get the message that Broadway is still here for them,” says Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association executive director Neil Wyles in a press release. “Shopping local has never been more critical, so I’m pleased to see the City is running a campaign to encourage people to show their love for Broadway businesses during SkyTrain construction.”
The $2.83 billion project will have eight stops, with five new and three connecting locations running east-west. Six new stations will be built, along with the new underground rail. The furthest western station will be at Arbutus Street and Broadway; further extension of the line to UBC is being assessed.
