About the Project

The City is building a new pedestrian-cyclist overpass across the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) creating a critical north-south link between key regional trail networks and destinations within Burnaby.

The new Burnaby Lake Overpass will cross over Highway 1 between Glencarin Drive and Claude Avenue, establishing a safe and comfortable crossing for residents, commuters and visitors, near popular destination areas in Burnaby.

The new overpass will connect across Highway 1 by using the existing raised terrain on both sides of the highway. This will reduce the need for extensive ramp infrastructure to access the overpass and reduce environmental impacts. The southern landing will be located within the existing park space near the intersection of Claude Avenue and McCarthy Court, while the northern landing will be located at the trailhead at Glencarin Drive.

Location approved by Burnaby City Council

Burnaby City Council has approved the location for a new pedestrian-cycling overpass over Highway 1, which will create a critical north-south link between key regional trail networks and destinations within Burnaby.

The new overpass will cross over Highway 1 between Glencarin Drive and Claude Avenue, establishing a safe and comfortable crossing for residents, commuters and visitors, near popular destination areas in Burnaby. This was referred to as Option 1 in our previous communications.

The location was selected after receiving input from Burnaby residents during public consultation, conducted in person and online. City staff will now proceed to detailed design work on the overpass.

If you would like more information about the project, please visit the project page or read the report to council.

Project engagement phases

Through online and in-person public engagement in spring 2022, Burnaby residents let us know their thoughts on their preferred location for the new overpass as well as how and why they travel through the area. The feedback we received helped us to better understand which destinations are important to the community and to identify opportunities to improve active transportation access.

In 2019, the City undertook the first phase of this project to help inform the proposed overpass location, along with environmental, geotechnical, and archaeological analyses to complete a preliminary schematic design. The City has since then continued to refine a preferred crossing location and confirm its feasibility. A total of four crossing locations were analyzed and reviewed:

At this location, the proposed overpass will connect across Highway 1 by using the existing raised terrain on both sides of the highway to reduce the need for extensive ramp infrastructure to access the overpass. The southern landing will be located within the existing park space near the intersection of Claude Avenue and McCarthy Court, while the northern landing will be located at the trailhead at Glencarin Drive.

At this location, the proposed overpass will have its southern landing at the bottom of a hill near the intersection of Claude Avenue and Wilton Avenue while the northern landing will connect with Glencarin Drive. Due to the surrounding topography, additional ramp infrastructure will be required to access the overpass from both sides of the highway.

At this location, the proposed overpass will provide a perpendicular crossing of Highway 1 that roughly aligns with Sperling Avenue. The southern landing will be located at the bottom of a hill at Sperling Avenue, close to the Fire Hall while the northern landing will connect with Sperling Avenue. Due to the surrounding topography and close proximity to the existing highway on- and off-ramps, extensive ramp infrastructure will be required to access the overpass from both sides of the highway.

At this location, the proposed overpass will provide an oblique crossing across Highway 1 that roughly aligns with Sperling Avenue. The southern landing will be located at the bottom of a hill at Sperling Avenue, close to the Fire Hall, while its northern landing will connect with Sperling Avenue. Due to the surrounding topography and proximity to the existing highway on- and off-ramps, extensive ramp infrastructure will be required to access the overpass from both sides of the highway. In comparison with the other options, this location will require the longest overpass length.

Our goals

The new overpass aligns with the three key targets outlined in Connecting Burnaby: Burnaby’s Transportation Plan, adopted by Council in 2021:

  • Vision Zero - reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 100%
  • Mode Split - have ¾ of all trips made by public transit and active transportation
  • Zero Emissions - reduce vehicle emissions by 100%