Popular Metro Vancouver seawalls remain closed after region's latest storm

Two popular Metro Vancouver seawalls remain closed after enduring significant damage during the region’s latest storm.

On Friday, high tides and powerful winds rocked the Lower Mainland, wreaking havoc on the shores of Vancouver and the North Shore.

After flooding receded, shattered concrete was highly visible along the Vancouver seawall.

“Now that the tide and winds have subsided, operations staff will turn their focus to cleaning up debris and assessing the damage, particularly to the seawall,” a spokesperson for the Vancouver Park Board told CTV News Friday night.

“While Stanley Park has just been deemed safe to reopen, the Seawall will remain closed between Sunset Beach and the Lions Gate Bridge until further notice.”

The spokesperson said the board won’t know the cost or the extent of the damage until a full assessment is carried out.

In West Vancouver, the Centennial Seawalk and shoreline fared no better. Fencing between people’s homes and the seawalk suffered significant damage and chunks of concrete were broken along the path.

At Dundarave Park, large pieces of debris, including logs and a small boat washed up onto shore, forcing the closure of the pier.

Severe flooding also left several cars underwater in the Ambleside parking lot.

“Work is underway now to clear the debris and assess the damage,” a District of West Vancouver spokesperson told CTV News.

“We won’t know the full extent of the damage until Monday. There is significant debris and crews are out with chainsaws and heavy equipment to clear it. The area remains closed while this work takes place.”

The district is also pleading with the public to avoid the marked off areas.

“Unfortunately, many members of the public are crossing the yellow tape or other barricades and making the clean up difficult and more dangerous than it needs to be,” the spokesperson said.