VANCOUVER

Vancouver Olympic Village

Location: Southeast False Creek

Use: Accommodation for 2,800 athletes; permanent structures to become part of a new residential neighbourhood.

Cost: Final budget to be set by City of Vancouver, with a $30-million contribution from the Vancouver Organizing Committee.

Status: Infrastructure work to begin in early 2006, village construction in mid-2007, and completion by September 2009.

B.C. Place Stadium

Location: False Creek at Robson

Use: Opening, closing and medal ceremonies.

Cost: N/A

Status: Little work needed Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre expansion

Location: Burrard Inlet, foot of Burrard Street.

Use: Host 9,000 media in the Games International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre.

Cost: $565 million

Status: Construction started fall 2004; scheduled to open in fall 2008.

General Motors Place

Location: 800 Griffiths Way, north shore of False Creek

Use: Olympic hockey tournament.

Cost: $5 million to restructure building and ice surface to international specifications.

Status: Begin modifications in April 2007; completion date undisclosed.

UBC Winter Sports Centre

Location: UBC campus

Use: Olympic ice hockey tournament

Cost: $40.8 million

Status: Begin construction in late 2005, complete by 2007

Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park

Location: East side of Queen Elizabeth Park

Use: Olympic curling tournament

Cost: $28 million

Status: Begin construction in April 2007; complete in August 2008.

Pacific Coliseum

Location: Hastings Park/PNE Grounds

Use: Olympic figure skating and short-track speed skating

Cost: $23 million in upgrades

Status: Renovations starting in 2005, staggered around other events and continuing for two to four years.

Richmond Oval

Location: 6200 River Road, Richmond (location of Richmond RV Park)

Use: Olympic speed skating

Cost: $155 million

Status: Construction begins in early 2006; complete by April 2008

Richmond-Airport-Vancouver Line

Location: Waterfront Station in Vancouver, underground below downtown and Cambie Street to 63rd Avenue, then elevated to Sea Island and from there to Lulu Island.

Use: Rapid transit linking downtown Vancouver with downtown Richmond and Vancouver International Airport.

Cost: $1.72 billion

Status: Officially unrelated to the Olympics but politicially tied in. Work to begin late this year and to be completed by November 2009.

Cypress Mountain Resort

Location: Cypress Mountain, West Vancouver

Use: Olympic freestyle skiing and snowboarding

Cost: $11 million for modifications of existing runs and new facilities.

Status: Under review to ensure new facilities meet technical requirements. No construction start is set.

WHISTLER

Sea to Sky Highway upgrade

Location: West Vancouver to Whistler

Use: Principal land route from Greater Vancouver to Whistler

Cost: $600 million

Status: A provincial government project, connected to the Olympics. Work began May 2005 and is scheduled to finish in spring 2009 to widen and straighten the highway at various points, improve sight-lines, add passing lanes and reduce driving hazards.

WHISTLER

Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains

Location: Whistler-Blackcomb Resort

Use: Olympic and Paralympic alpine skiing events

Cost: $23 million for modifications to existing runs, snowmaking and chairlift upgrades and related new infrastructure.

Status: Begin work in June 2005 and complte by November 2007. However, technical events are under review and may be moved from Blackcomb to Whistler Mountain, where speed events are scheduled.

Proposed Combined Alpine Venue

Location: Whistler Creekside Village

Use: Combined speed and technical alpine skiing events.

Cost: Undetermined

Status: Under review following a request from the International Ski Federation to combine speed and technical events at one site.

Whistler Sliding Centre

Location: Blackcomb Mountain

Use: Olympic bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events

Cost: $55 million

Status: Construction to begin later this year, with completion in the fall of 2007

Whistler Nordic Centre

Location: Callaghan Valley, near Whistler

Use: Olympic and Paralympic Nordic sports, including ski jumping, cross-country skiing and biathlon.

Cost: $102 million

Status: Construction to begin in June 2005 and be completed by October 2007.

Whistler Entertainment Centre

Location: Whistler Resort

Use: Potential site for Paralympic sledge hockey, and possible permanent entertainment complex and multipurpose facility.

Cost: Unknown. The Olympic organizing committee has offered a grant of $20 million to the resort municipality of Whistler, which is working on plans and total costs.

Status: Uncertain. If the project does not proceed, the existing Meadow Park Sports Centre can be converted to host Paralympic sledge hockey in about two weeks.

Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village

Location: Lower Cheakamus Valley, near Whistler

Use: Accommodation for 2,700 athletes and coaches

Cost: To be developed by the private sector, with $32.5 million from the Vancouver Organizing Committee that includes $6.5 million for a first nations Legacy, and additional funding of $13 million for permanent athlete accommodations.

Status: A conceptual site plan is ready. Site planning is to be completed by May 2007. Construction will be in two phases, one starting in April 2007 and the second in April 2008, with the project completed in September 2009.

Whistler Media Village

Location: Lower Cheakamus Valley.

Use: Temporary accommodation, dining facilities and other services for up to 2,000 media and 1,500 Olympics workers and volunteers.

Cost: Undetermined

Status: Temporary structures would be leased for a six-month period ending after the Olympics and Paralympics.

Whistler Conference Centre

Location, Whistler Village.

Use: Media facilities, cultural events.

Cost: Undetermined.

Status: Little or no work needed.

© The Vancouver Sun 2005