WORK to improve the very busy intersection and off-ramp at Vancouver’s Knight Street and SE Marine Drive to increase safety for all users and improve goods movement is now substantially complete, and the northbound off-ramp has fully reopened to all traffic.
“This is the highest vehicle-to-vehicle collision location in Vancouver, which is why I’m so pleased that we have completed these critical upgrades,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson on Tuesday. “The changes will improve safety at this intersection, helping us move closer to our target of achieving zero traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries from our street network. The upgrades will also enhance vehicle connectivity, which will improve traffic flow, benefit goods movement, and reduce the impacts of trucks on minor streets.”
Safety and connectivity improvements to the intersection and bridge ramps include:
* An additional vehicle lane and reconfigured traffic signal on the Knight Street Bridge off-ramp connecting to eastbound SE Marine Drive
* A new westbound left-turn lane on SE Marine Drive connecting to the Knight Street northbound on-ramp
* Improved conditions for people walking, cycling, and using transit with a new shared walking and cycling path on the Knight Street overpass, the eastbound off-ramp, and along the north side of SE Marine Drive.
Some finishing touches to the sidewalks will continue in the coming weeks, and the final top-lift paving on SE Marine Drive, which is temperature-dependent, is anticipated to be complete in spring 2018.
The upgrades were approved by Council in fall 2015 and work began in summer 2017 with the support of Transport Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Fund. Additional funding was supported by TransLink’s Major Road Network funding program and ICBC’s Road Improvement Program.

To limit traffic impacts, construction on the off-ramps occurred primarily at night. As part of the Knight Street Corridor Upgrades, this project is an example of coordinated planning to minimize public impacts over the long term – particularly on arterial routes – by simultaneously upgrading or renewing multiple infrastructure systems, the City said.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, who is the MP for Vancouver South, said: “The safety and security of Canada’s transportation system is a top priority for the Government of Canada. By linking Knight Street and Southeast Marine Drive we are improving safety at a very busy intersection, while improving the network for the transportation of goods, which is vital to the economy of the region.”