Concerns Mount as Broadway Bus Traffic Set to Detour Onto Narrow Side Street for Months

One of Vancouver’s most heavily used transit corridors is about to be squeezed onto a much smaller street, and concerns are growing about how the change will affect commuters and businesses alike.

Beginning January 26, a one-block stretch of East Broadway between Main Street and Quebec Street will be closed to all vehicle traffic for approximately four months. The closure is part of ongoing construction on the Broadway Subway Project, one of the largest infrastructure projects in British Columbia’s history.

During the closure, buses and local traffic will be detoured around the block using East 8th Avenue—a residential and commercial street significantly narrower than Broadway.

The impact is expected to be substantial. The No. 9 and 99 B-Line buses, which normally run along this section of Broadway, together carry roughly 46,000 passenger trips on an average weekday, according to Movement – Metro Vancouver Transit Riders.

“This is one of the busiest bus corridors in North America,” said the group’s executive director, Dennis Agar. “Hundreds of buses a day are going to be rerouted onto a much narrower street, and that raises serious concerns about congestion, speed, and reliability.”

Pressure on a Critical Transit Link

The 99 B-Line in particular is a backbone of east-west transit in Vancouver, serving students, workers, and residents travelling through the city’s central corridor. Agar said while some riders may shift to SkyTrain or alternative routes to avoid the detour, many commuters won’t have viable options.

“There are a lot of people who still have to take the 9 or the 99 based on where they live,” he said. “We want to make sure those riders aren’t disadvantaged by this closure.”

Movement is urging the city and province to further prioritize buses during the detour, including restricting East 8th Avenue to buses and local traffic only during the closure to minimize delays.

Officials Expect ‘Minor Delays’

The BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit says the temporary shutdown is necessary to rebuild the roadway above the future Mount Pleasant Station and that closing the block entirely allows the work to be completed more efficiently.

Once the initial four-month closure ends, vehicle traffic is expected to return to East Broadway, but with only one lane open in each direction for an additional four months.

TransLink says it is coordinating closely with the City of Vancouver and the Broadway Subway Project team to manage the impacts of the detour.

In a statement to Peazzi, the transit authority said it anticipates only minor delays and has several mitigation measures in place, including bus queue-jump lanes, signal priority at intersections, and dual turning lanes for both buses and cars.

Some bus stops will also be temporarily relocated to help buses merge more easily into traffic. Riders are being advised to plan ahead and allow extra travel time during the closure period.

Business Community Raises Alarm

While officials emphasize mitigation, businesses along East 8th Avenue say they are bracing for disruption.

Dougie Stewart, owner of Colourstrings Conservatory of Music, said the street is already congested, making drop-offs and parking challenging for parents bringing children to lessons.

“Parking is tight as it is,” Stewart said. “Adding a large volume of buses and extra traffic is going to change how people interact with the neighbourhood.”

Stewart also said business owners were not meaningfully consulted about the detour before plans were finalized.

“We’re a small, family-run school,” he said. “If people can’t get here easily, they stop coming. And if that happens across the street, businesses won’t survive.”

Concerns like these have been common since construction began in late 2020 on the extension of the Millennium Line through the Broadway corridor.

Long Project, Lingering Impacts

The province-led project, valued at $2.83 billion, was originally scheduled for completion in 2026 but has since been delayed until at least fall 2027. Over the years, businesses along Broadway and adjacent streets have reported declining foot traffic, reduced sales, and prolonged access challenges.

Neil Wyles of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association said the upcoming detour adds to those pressures.

“For the better part of a year, these businesses are going to be highly inaccessible to their customer base,” he said. “And there’s been no meaningful relief offered to offset those losses.”

The province says the project team has been meeting with affected businesses individually and is working to introduce additional mitigation measures where possible.

A High-Stakes Detour

Once completed, the 5.7-kilometre subway extension will add six new underground stations and dramatically expand rapid transit access along the Broadway corridor. Officials say the long-term benefits will far outweigh the short-term disruptions.

But for now, transit riders, residents, and business owners are preparing for months of congestion and uncertainty, as one of Vancouver’s busiest routes is forced onto a side street never designed to carry the load.

Whether mitigation efforts will be enough—or whether delays ripple outward through the city’s transit network—will become clear once the detour begins later this month.