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A road component of the proposed expansion of the Vancouver container terminal on the south shore of the inner harbour will partially obscure one of the most recognizable industrial landmarks in the city.

A planned overpass on Centennial Road will block views of the lower floors of the iconic Rogers Sugar warehouse.

Built during the 1920s, the red-brick structure by the waterfront is a living reminder of the early industrial beginnings of Vancouver.

Standing six storeys, the functioning warehouse forms part of a sugar-refinery complex that started earlier during the 1890s and currently produces 240,000 tons of different sugar products per year.

Seen from the Powell Street overpass, the Rogers Sugar warehouse offers an impressive sight.

A study prepared by engineering firm AECOM for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority noted that the planned Centennial Road overpass will run from Clark Drive to the Centerm (Centennial Terminals) port entrance.

“The introduction of the Centennial Road Overpass will improve traffic flow on the port roadway for vehicles accessing Centerm by separating road and rail interactions,” the document stated. “This reduces delays to vehicles on port roadways as a result of rail blockages.”

Another study made by AECOM pointed out that the new overpass will block views of the “lower floors and windows of the Rogers Sugar building façade”.

Future view of Rogers Sugar warehouse from Powell Street overpass with proposed Centennial Road overpass on the left. AECOM

The Rogers Sugar warehouse was also the subject of a study prepared by heritage consulting firm Donald Luxton & Associates for the port authority. According to that study, the sugar-refinery site has “primary, citywide heritage significance”.

Although it is listed in the top category of the Vancouver Heritage Register, the city does not have jurisdiction over the port authority, the study noted.

According to the heritage study, the planned overpass will partially conceal the lower three storeys of the Rogers Sugar warehouse from public view. “It has been concluded that the proposed overpass in front of the primary façade of the Rogers Sugar warehouse impacts one of Vancouver’s most well-known and admired industrial sites,” the study stated. “The public view of the building’s character-defining elements and its historic appearance will be obscured.”

Current eastward view of Rogers Sugar warehouse from Powell Street overpass. AECOM

Donald Luxton & Associates suggested that measures should be considered to “reduce the visual impact of the overpass…to better protect the heritage value and appearance of this important piece of Vancouver’s industrial history”.

The Centerm expansion project aims to increase the terminal’s size by 15 percent. In addition to the reconfiguration of the terminal, the project also includes off-terminal road and rail components, like the Centennial Road overpass.

The port authority is expected to hold more public consultations this year about the terminal-expansion project.