Part of Stanley Park seawall remains closed due to safety concerns

A stretch of the Stanley Park seawall remains closed after crews determined some of the ground above it is unstable.

One of the most scenic sections of the Stanley Park seawall remains closed over safety concerns due to unstable slopes above the route.

Big chunks of rock have come down over the bike path between Third beach and Prospect Point, making for a major safety hazard.

The Vancouver Park Board is warning everybody to stay clear until repair work can be done and keeping away those ignoring the signage.

“Things may look safe at one moment, but when the rocks start coming down the slopes, it’s not somewhere you want to be, so please do observe the closures and stay safe out there,” Andrew Seeton, a senior engineer with the Vancouver Park Board told CTV News on Tuesday.

This stretch of seawall was closed earlier in the month due to winter storms. And the repeated freezing and thawing are now bringing new concerns.

“When we have weather events, whether it be freezing temperatures, lots of rain, snow, and this thawing condition, we have a variety of hazards than can come together in one place,” said Seeton.

While the park board is removing dead and dying trees from Stanley Park following a looper moth infestation, it says these slope stability issues happen each season and are not related to that work.

The park board is not giving a definitive timeline for when this section of the seawall will re-open, but people can visit the park board’s website for some alternate routes.