Revamped Phibbs Exchange opens on the North Shore—but without bathrooms
After a year and a half of construction, upgrades to a busy bus hub by the north end of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge are now complete.
Phibbs Exchange was still in operation while undergoing improvements, but the bus bays were scattered in temporary locations around the worksite. TransLink declared the exchange officially reopened on Monday.
The transit operator says the $32-million facelift modernized the space, improved access to and from the exchange, expanded capacity and improved safety.
Until the upgrades began in November 2022, the exchange used by more than 5,000 customers on an average weekday remained largely unchanged since it was first built in 1973.
A photo released by the B.C. government on Nov. 8, 2022 shows construction at the site of the Phibbs Exchange upgrade project in North Vancouver.Now, Phibbs Exchange has new bus bays for all 13 routes it serves, a new pathway to the hub, a rain garden, improved lighting, seven bike lockers, new bus shelters and extra seating. There’s also retail space for a yet-to-be-announced business, and public art by Indigenous artists is expected to go up later in 2024.
“As an access point for the R2 RapidBus and a future home for the Metrotown – North Shore BRT corridor, Phibbs Exchange is an incredibly important part of our transit network,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn in a news release. “The exchange is over 50 years old, and we have now proudly modernized the space to benefit customers for decades.”
Absent from the overhaul, at least for now, are public bathrooms.
However, a spokesperson for TransLink told CTV News plumbing was installed at Phibbs Exchange during the upgrades, so “a customer washroom could potentially be added in the future.”
TransLink has secured funding for and committed to opening six washrooms across the region, Dan Mountain explained in an email. The operator is still deciding where those washrooms will be, and “will be in a better position” to give an update later this year.
“Operating and maintaining washrooms to ensure they are clean and safe is expensive and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per year,” he wrote.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS 'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he's sorry, calls his actions 'inexcusable'
Sean "Diddy" Combs admitted Sunday that he beat his ex-girlfriend in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was "truly sorry" and his actions were "inexcusable."
Ottawa driver who appeared to be racing another vehicle on Highway 416 facing charges
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says an Ottawa driver is facing charges after being caught going 187 km/h on Highway 416.
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Residents evacuated after threats made to residence in Fall River, N.S.
Nova Scotia RCMP are warning the public to avoid the area around Canterbury Lane in Fall River after a threat was made at a residence.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
Helicopter carrying Iran's president suffers a 'hard landing,' state TV says, and rescue is underway
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a "hard landing" on Sunday, Iranian state media reported, without elaborating. Some began urging the public to pray for Raisi and the others on board as rescue crews sped through a misty, rural forest where his helicopter was believed to be.