Sea Island is an island in the Fraser River estuary in the city of Richmond, British Columbia. It is located south of the city of Vancouver and north and west of Lulu Island. Sea Island is the home to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), a nature conservation area, and a permanent resident population of 814, most of which live in the neighbourhood of Burkeville. A small part of the island is under the administration of the Musqueam Indian Band. History The island was traditionally home to the Musqueam Indian Band, and they retain ownership over a tract of land on the island's north-west under the administrative title "Sea Island Indian Reserve #3". Construction of residential neighbourhoods on the island began during World War II. Under the authority of the Wartime Housing Authority, the Boeing Company built a 300 home subdivision to house its workers on Sea Island. This neighbourhood on the island's east side became known as Burkeville, and remains a residential neighbourhood to this day. A second neighbourhood, known as the Cora Brown subdivision, was constructed in 1946 on the north side of the island, originally with 50 houses. Although it grew to the point of requiring the construction of the island's second elementary school in 1962, airport expansion led to the community being disbanded in 1978. No trace of this neighbourhood remains. Vancouver International Airport The airport first opened for service on Sea Island in 1931, and began servicing commercial flights in 1937. The airport received relatively light traffic for the next fifty years until extensive growth in international traffic, primarily between the United States and Asia, necessitated expansion of service. With investments from the airlines, the Canadian government and a surcharge on tickets for improvement costs, the airport began a significant overhaul in the 1990s. The airport is the second largest in Canada, with over 25 million passengers passing through each year. It has grown to three passenger terminals and three main runways servicing over fifty airlines. Ground transportation Grant McConachie Way is the primary east–west artery leading to the main airport terminal, while a significant amount of commuter traffic from Vancouver to Richmond crosses Sea Island north-south via Russ Baker Way. Sea Island is connected to Vancouver to the north via the Arthur Laing Bridge, and to Richmond via the No. 2 Road Bridge, Dinsmore Bridge, Moray Bridge and the Sea Island Bridge. Sea Island is also