Cyclists won't be able to use Vancouver's newest separated bike lane for several weeks, but drivers will feel the impact of the construction right away.
Beginning this week, motorists will face 10 weeks of construction on the new, $3.2-million lane, which was just approved Tuesday night.
"It's going to very busy for the next several weeks and an important message for drivers is that they use alternate routes," the city's Director of Transportation Jerry Dobrovolny told CTV News.
Curb work along the lane is scheduled to begin on Thursday, and by the weekend, conduits for new traffic signals will start being laid.
Workers are scheduled to start grinding down concrete and repaving by the end of next week. After that, curbs and planters still need to be installed.
The construction will impact parking, too.
"We'll maintain parking as best we can throughout the entire construction period, so absolutely there will be periods of time when there's no parking on Hornby. The parking will come and go based on where the construction crews are," Dobrovolny said.
About 158 parking spots will be lost when the lane is complete, but the city says there are thousands of spaces in lots near Hornby Street to offset that.
City officials say they plan to talk with the parking-lot operator Easy Park about ways of compensating for lost meters on Hornby, such as posting parking space availability online for drivers to see.
The city is hoping to complete construction on the lanes before the Christmas shopping season.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Maria Weisgarber
