The North Viaduct runs through relatively lightly developed land. An RV park and mobile home community lie to the west, to the East is land of the Squamish Nation
To the East of the bridge, The North Shore consists of Environment Canada lands, with port facilities beyond. As is often the case in such situations, a heavily-used multi-track railway r.o.w. separates the shore from the hinterland. To the west lies the GVRD waterworks.
The First Narrows is the entrance to Burrard Inlet, where the bulk of Vancouver's port activities are concentrated. The existing bridge spans 847m from the Viaduct to the south anchorage, with a clear span of 472.4m. Minimum mid-span clearance is 61m across a 61m wide navigation channel. Current chanel depth is 15.24m, but may be later dredged to 18.29m.
Stanley Park, lying between the southern end of the bridge and downtown, is crossed by what is referred to as the "causeway" linking the south end of the bridge to Georgia St. and closing the Lost Lagoon.
Any crossing proposal must have No Negative Impact on Stanley Park; a net positive impact is desirable.
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