The first phase of B. C. Transit's SkyTrain is a 19 kilometer long concrete guideway that shuttles passenger loaded automated trains from Vancouver's waterfront, through Burnaby, to downtown New Westminster, B.C. The SkyTrain is a heavily used system, having a daily passenger use of over 30,000.
Because of it's high visibility, both from the SkyTrain and of the guideway from below, reclamation of the disturbed landscape was a high priority. All phases of construction of the pylons, guideway and stations required continuous access for heavy construction equipment. This created a 20 - 30 meter wide swath of disturbed and compacted earth passing through a mix of sensitive urban landscapes. Initial plans for restoration called for a "natural systems" approach to revegetation based on variables such as slope, aspect, soils, surface condition, location, and anticipated management of the final landscape. The result of this phase of reclamation was to be a cost-effective method of successfully revegetating the disturbed SkyTrain corridor. The first stage of hydroseeding was tendered and implemented in the fall of 1984.
In the spring of 1985, the site reclamation package changed to include extensive landscaping plus construction of jogging and cycling pathways. Lead by the Honorable Grace McCarthy, Minister Responsible for SkyTrain, the Provincial Government spearheaded an ambitious campaign in partnership with the Federal Government to obtain private and corporate donations to create the B.C. Parkway. A Master Plan designated a pair of linear pathways that linked the Pa r kway with existing parks within Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster. Design Guidelines and Standards specified details and conformed to municipal standards for design and construction including clearances, utilities, grading and drainage, path layout, landscape standards, lighting and irrigation. As increased funding for the project became available, the scope of reclamation changed from the hydroseeding and rooted cutting program originally planned to an extensive urban landscape installation. Work began in the spring of 1985. B.C. Parkway
was officially opened in July, 1986.