West End distribution projects

Since 2024, we've been working in the City of Vancouver's West End neighbourhood to:

• Expand an existing duct bank along Bute Street,
• Build a new duct bank along Pendrell Street, and
• Install new maintenance hatches along both roads.

Duct banks house distribution cables, which carry electricity from substations into your homes and businesses, and we access and maintain these cables via maintenance hatches.

We’re completing our construction work block-by-block, and then returning to install the cables.

Our work will help to continue providing reliable electricity to your community as it grows and as we all use more power.

When this project is complete, we'll have space for more cables, that can carry more power, to homes and businesses in the West End.

This work is not part of the West End Substation project – the cables we add during this work will be connected to the existing Dal Grauer Substation. When the new substation is complete, and Dal Grauer Substation is decommissioned, we'll reconnect these cables to the West End Substation.

West End Distribution - Pendrell Street work completed

View the project map [PDF, 586 KB] at a larger size.
 

We'll complete our construction block-by-block.

On Bute Street, most of our work to build the duct bank will take place under the sidewalk, on one side of the road only, and which side will vary by block.

When we're building maintenance hatches, we may need more space in the street.

We started this work in 2024 and completed the Pendrell Street duct bank in 2025. In 2026, we'll continue working along Bute Street and expect to complete all of our work this year.

We expect to be outside each building for about three days for duct bank construction, and that each maintenance hatch will take up to three weeks of construction.