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Roads, Bridges, and Goods Movement



Road, Cycling, and Pedestrian Improvements

People crossing an empty street.

As Metro Vancouver’s transportation authority, our mission is to connect the region and enhance its livability by providing a sustainable transportation network. Regionally significant roads, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure are key parts of that equation.

TransLink partners with municipalities and other stakeholders to improve this infrastructure throughout Metro Vancouver.

Through our municipal cost-sharing programs, TransLink contributes up to 75 per cent of eligible capital costs for infrastructure upgrades that will improve mobility options for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians for years to come.

These projects are driven by the municipality involved and include the addition of new or improved:

Road

  • Travel lanes

  • Left-turn lanes

  • Road safety and efficiency

  • Curb ramps

  • Road structures

  • Bus speed upgrades

Biking

  • Bikeways

  • Bike signals

  • Road safety and efficiency

Pedestrian Walkways

  • Pedestrian signals

  • Multi-use paths

  • Sidewalks

  • Street crossing improvements


Road, Cycling, and Pedestrian Improvements

As Metro Vancouver’s transportation authority, our mission is to connect the region and enhance its livability by providing a sustainable transportation network. TransLink invests in regionally significant roads, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure to better connect Metro Vancouver communities.

Through our Municipal Cost Share Program, TransLink contributes 50 – 100 percent of eligible capital costs for infrastructure upgrades that will improve mobility options for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians for years to come.

These projects are driven by local governments and include the addition of new or improved:

Road

  • Travel lanes

  • Left-turn lanes

  • Road safety and efficiency

  • Curb ramps

  • Road structures

  • Bus speed upgrades

Biking

  • Bikeways

  • Bike signals

  • Road safety and efficiency

Pedestrian Walkways

  • Pedestrian signals

  • Multi-use paths

  • Sidewalks

  • Street crossing improvements


From 2017 to 2023, TransLink has committed over $520 million towards more than 640 road, cycling, and pedestrian improvement projects across the region.

View 2023 Municipal Cost Share Projects

Map of Road Network, Cycling, and Pedestrian Projects

Municipal Cost Share Program Statistic

Upgrading road, cycle & pedestrian infrastructure

  • TransLink’s Municipal Funding Program invests in 21 municipalities, Electoral Area A and the Tsawwassen First Nation.

  • TransLink has invested $67 million to upgrade or build new infrastructure in 2023.

    • This includes 106 projects across the region.

  • TransLink has invested over $520 million to upgrade or build new infrastructure since 2017.

    • This includes 646 projects across the region.

  • Since 2017, TransLink has invested in:

    • 183 kilometres of cycling paths

    • 65 kilometres of upgraded road infrastructure

    • 48 kilometres of walking paths

    • 57 kilometres of multi-use paths

    • 72 kilometres of enhanced bus lanes

View the list of all completed upgrades through this program.

Municipal Cost Share Program Guidelines

The Municipal Cost Share Program guidelines identify the type of infrastructure upgrades and the locations that are eligible for capital cost share. The guidelines also describe the funding and evaluation framework used to assess these projects. Details about program administration procedures and requirements are also included. The guidelines are subject to periodic updates or enhancements as required.

The latest guidelines can be found below.

Road Infrastructure Improvement Programs

Cycling Infrastructure Improvement Programs

Pedestrian Infrastructure Improvement Programs

Additional Cycling Infrastructure Resources


Major Road Network

The Major Road Network (MRN) supports the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across the region. It includes over 2,600 lane-kilometres of major arterial roads that carry commuter, transit, and truck traffic. The Major Road Network connects the provincial highway system with the local road network, and some corridors also serve cyclists and pedestrians.

TransLink, in partnership with municipalities, plans the region's Major Road Network. TransLink contributes funding for the on-going operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of the MRN, but ownership and operational responsibility for the MRN remains with the respective municipalities. TransLink also shares the cost of road, cycling, and pedestrian improvement projects with municipal partners and other stakeholders, in order to expand options for driving, cycling, and walking across the region.

Operations, Maintenance and Rehabilitation

Maintaining the Major Road Network (MRN)

TransLink also contributes to the annual upkeep and maintenance of over 2,600 lane-kilometres of the Major Road Network (MRN). This Operations, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation (OMR) funding helps keep the Major Road Network in a state of good repair, ensuring that people and goods can move efficiently and safely across the region.

Work on the Major Road Network is planned and performed by municipalities and includes activities such as street cleaning and snow removal, patching potholes, repaving, and maintaining streetlights, traffic signals and signs. Each year, municipalities receive an amount that is proportionate to the number of Major Road Network lane-kilometres within their community.

What is a lane-kilometre? Imagine there is a one-kilometre road that has two lanes in both directions for a total of four lanes. That is four lane-kilometres.

  • TransLink has invested over $61 million in 2022 to help keep the Major Road Network in a state of good repair.

    • TransLink has Invested $280 million towards the maintenance and rehabilitation of the Major Road Network since 2017.

  • TransLink has invested in the maintenance of over 850 structures since 2017 to help keep drivers safe on structures such as bridges, culverts, and retaining walls

  • TransLink also invests in the maintenance of over 1115 traffic signals throughout the region.

TransLink also owns and maintains five bridges:

  • Knight Street Bridge

  • Pattullo Bridge

  • Golden Ears Bridge

  • Westham Island Bridge

  • the Canada Line bike and pedestrian bridge

For more information on these bridges and active construction work, visit the Bridge Maintenance and Upgrade Program page.


Regional Road Performance Monitoring Report

Cars driving across Granville Street bridge on a clear sunny day

Healthy regional roads are essential to the livability and economic success of our region. They enable the efficient movement of goods and connect commuters to the people and places that matter the most.

TransLink is more than transit. In partnership with municipalities, we plan the region's Major Road Network (MRN). We also contribute funding for the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of the MRN and share the cost of road, cycling, and pedestrian improvement projects with municipal partners.

Our new Regional Road Performance Monitoring (RRPM) report and online dashboard collect and present important data on the health and safety of Metro Vancouver’s regional roads. It helps us understand the location, scale, and complexity of our road network challenges.

This is our first RRPM report. As we restart our economy from the pandemic and plan for our future, the data in future iterations of this report can help TransLink and road authorities make informed, performance-based decisions. It also reinforces the need for strong partnerships and strategic investments across the region to help create a safer and more efficient road network.


Feedback

If you have any feedback on the RRPM online dashboard, please email us at rrpm@translink.ca.


Goods Movement Initiatives

Traffic on a bridge

Moving the Economy: A Regional Goods Movement Strategy for Metro Vancouver

Goods movement is an essential part of our region’s transportation network. Residents need food, clothing, and other goods, much of which need to be transported to local stores throughout our region. In addition, many businesses in Metro Vancouver rely on efficient goods movement to get their products to market in other parts of Canada, North America, and the world.

In order to promote understanding of goods movements issues, TransLink and its partners have collaborated to develop a Regional Goods Movement Strategy — the first of its kind in Metro Vancouver.

The strategy draws together actions for governments and agencies at all levels, the private sector, and other organizations. It also represents a major step forward for TransLink to fulfill its mandate of providing a regional transportation system that efficiently moves both people and goods.

The challenge that this strategy addresses is how to deliver goods and services to more people and businesses within a shared and increasingly limited space. The strategy also aims to make goods movement cleaner, quieter, safer, and more cost-effective It is an ambitious agenda, but one that partners in this region are confident we can advance if we work together.

Truck Route Planner (TRP)

TransLink and the Government of British Columbia are releasing the Truck Route Planner, an online tool to help commercial vehicle operators plan their trips. This tool is the first of its kind in Canada to plan truck routes with a holistic picture of the region’s commercial vehicle network.

To use the Truck Route Planner, truck operators input the dimensions of their vehicle with their desired destination and starting point to find the optimum route for their vehicle. The Truck Route Planner suggests optimum routes based on:

  • The operator’s vehicle dimensions

  • Municipal bylaws

  • Height clearances

  • Bridge weight load limits

  • Major road closures on truck routes

The Truck Route Planner is a pre-trip planning tool, it is not designed to provide real-time directions. Operators are asked to not use the tool while driving. Operators of oversize or overweight vehicles on provincial highways should not use this tool, and instead plan their route using other provincial resources such as:

Identified as a priority in the 2017 regional goods movement strategy, the Truck Route Planner was developed with support from municipalities, the BC Trucking Association, and the Greater Vancouver Urban Freight Council. The Government of British Columbia and TransLink will continuously monitor and update the Truck Route Planner to provide the best available wayfinding information.

The Truck Route Planner app is free to use here.


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