SkyTrain's ambitious plan to avoid interrupting passengers during massive station upgrades The Metro Vancouver transportation authority is betting it can engineer $164-million in upgrades to seven SkyTrain stations while minimizing the impact on thousands of daily passengers. "We're committed to making sure stations are as accessible as possible during construction," says Jeff Busby, senior manager of infrastructure planning and network management. He said plans have been drawn up to steer passengers around construction, though that may mean entering and exiting stations in new, temporary pathways. Construction has been underway at Main Street-Science World and Scott Road in Surrey, but TransLink officials used a briefing Friday to detail stepped-up construction plans for the coming years. The idea behind the largest upgrade in existing SkyTrain lines since the system opened in 1986 is to easily handle expected demand for the next 30 years. One of the biggest looming overhauls will see a new east platform for westbound trains added to the existing Commercial Drive station between now and 2016 along with a new pedestrian walkway over Broadway between the Expo Line and Millennium Line platforms. Construction begins next fall. Other stations set for upgrades are Metrotown, New Westminster, Surrey Central and Joyce-Collingwood. Follow me on Twitter: @ianabailey