New Westminster residents like the idea of building a new four-lane bridge from Surrey to Coquitlam and rehabilitating the existing Pattullo Bridge - but it's not a view shared by most Metro Vancouver residents.
TransLink has been working with the cities of New Westminster and Surrey on plans to deal with the aging Pattullo Bridge. In June, the partners released a discussion guide that included 25 alternatives and identified six of those options as meriting further evaluation.
On Monday, TransLink and the cities of New Westminster and Surrey released a summary report about the Pattullo Bridge review consultation. The information was gathered during open houses and small group meetings, feedback forms, emails and mail, a survey done by the City of Surrey and an online public opinion poll.
A staff report presented to council on Monday indicated that 59 per cent of New Westminster residents support construction of a new fourlane Surrey to Coquitlam bridge and rehabilitation of the existing Pattullo Bridge, with 45 per cent supporting a new four-lane bridge at the existing location and 41 per cent supporting rehabilitation of the four-lane bridge.
"I wasn't overly surprised with the survey results," said Coun. Jonathan Cote. "Looking at it, you would probably anticipate the residents of Surrey would have a different viewpoint than the residents of New Westminster."
Of the North Surrey residents who responded to a public opinion poll, 58 per cent support a new six-lane bridge at the existing location, 53 per cent prefer a new four-lane bridge at the existing location and 47 per cent support rehabilitation of the existing four-lane bridge.
Among Metro Vancouver respondents, a new six-lane bridge at the existing location was
the top option at 57 per cent, followed by a new four-lane bridge at the existing location (49 per cent) and a new five-lane bridge at the existing location (47 per cent).
Cote said the consultation results aren't surprising given New Westminster residents' concerns about livability, traffic and road capacity.
"In New Westminster, it is a very tight-knit community," said Cote, who has been co-chairing the city's master transportation plan subcommittee. "Even a 10 per cent increase in traffic has an impact throughout the city."
New Westminster and Surrey residents may have differed with their top option for the Pattullo Bridge, but Cote noted they shared the same second and third options. He also noted that residents in both communities shared a desire to see commercial truck traffic curtailed on the Pattullo Bridge.
The alternatives undergoing further evaluation in Phase 2 of the process are: a rehabilitated Pattullo Bridge with three lanes; a rehabilitated Pattullo Bridge with four lanes; a new four-lane bridge at the existing location; a new six-lane bridge at the existing location; and a new four-lane Surrey-Coquitlam bridge, with a two-or three-lane rehabilitated Pattullo Bridge.
While the option of building a new bridge from Surrey to Coquitlam and rehabilitation the existing Pattullo Bridge is the most expensive of the options being reviewed, Cote was pleased that it is still being evaluated.
The option of building a new crossing from Surrey to Coquitlam and decommissioning the existing Pattullo Bridge is off the table because analysis indicates it wouldn't support local and regional land-use plans calling for continued connectivity between the Surrey and New Westminster regional centres.
"The results indicate general public support in moving forward with further analysis of the six shortlisted alternatives," said the staff report. "More technical information will be prepared as well as evaluation criteria, and the results will be presented back to the public in late 2013."
In 2012, TransLink presented four options for the community's consideration regarding the Pattullo Bridge replacement project. All four options proposed a new six-lane bridge near the existing crossing.
"I think they are doing it right this time," Coun. Betty McIntosh said about the process. "Before, when it was done wrong, it made the community furious."
The existing Pattullo Bridge does not meet current seismic standards or roadway guidelines for lane widths and curvature.
Because the completion of the Pattullo Bridge project is at least eight to 10 years away, TransLink plans to do some seismic and structural works on the existing bridge in 2013 and 2014.
