Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians could be crossing the Fraser River over a brand new bridge within five years.
The provincial government has announced it is taking on the role of designing, financing and building a new $1.377-billion structure to replace the Pattullo Bridge, which opened in 1937. The new bridge has been included in the mayors’ council on regional transportation’s 10-year vision for the region, but had no identified funding source.
“The last time we were gathered talking about transportation in the region, it was to announce the elimination of tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges,” Premier John Horgan told a crowd gathered at Westminster Pier Park Friday morning. “That has relieved pressure here in New Westminster, as well as on the Pattullo Bridge, with more traffic going back to those new pieces of infrastructure. But that does not change the fact that this bridge was designed in the 1920s, built in the 1930s and is well past its best-before date. It’s long overdue to replace the Pattullo Bridge.”
By taking on the project, Horgan said the province will be providing a safer crossing in the region and reducing travel times for commuters. He said the project will create good, family-supporting jobs and the bridge will help the province meet its climate change objectives.
Claire Trevena, minister of transportation and infrastructure, said there are 68,000 crossings of the Pattullo Bridge each day. She said there are “serious safety concerns” with the structure, noting there are times when trucks straddle lanes when crossing the bridge.
“It’s not designed for the size of vehicles we have now,” she said. “It was designed for the size of vehicles they had in the 1920s.”
The new bridge will have four lanes vehicle lanes, as well as specific lanes for cyclists and pedestrians on both sides.
“It will be a safe, modern bridge, making the connections between New Westminster and Surrey, for the whole region, much better, much safer,” Trevena said. “We will be starting work on this for a request for qualifications going out this spring. We will then be having he request for proposals, and building should start next summer – summer 2019, with an anticipated opening in 2023, which is about the real end of the lifespan of the 80-plus year old Pattullo Bridge.”
Horgan said the bridge will be funded from the province’s $14.6-billion, three-year capital plan.
“This is not just a bridge across the river, it’s a bridge between governments,” he said. “For too long the provincial government pointed at municipalities and blamed them for a lack of progress. I want to, and my colleagues want to, reach out to municipalities to work with them cooperatively for the people that elect us. That is what governments are supposed to do.”
TransLink retains responsibility of the existing bridge until the new bridge is built.
New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote welcomed the announcement, saying it makes it a lot easier for the mayors’ council on regional transportation to take on other aspects of its 10-year plan.
“This was a major hurdle that didn’t have an identified funding source, but which we as the region’s mayors recognized needed to be done,” he said. “Having the Pattullo Bridge come off the plate of the mayors’ council and TransLink, I think now makes it a lot easier for us to move forward with the public transit investments we have been working hard to put in place.”
Cote said there’s no doubt that construction of a new bridge is going to have some traffic impacts, but is confident the province will work closely with Surrey and New Westminster to mitigate the impacts.
“The bridge on the New Westminster side lands in some very urban residential neighbourhoods. There is no reason why that type of infrastructure can’t fit in, but if it’s not done right it can have a negative impact,” he said. “I know the City of New Westminster is very eager to work with the parties involved to make sure that we get this right.”
Cote said the new bridge will be designed to modern standards and will provide new connections to the existing roads in New West and Surety.
“I think it’s going to be a positive for our challenged road network in the City of New Westminster,” he said.
New Westminster MLA Judy Darcy said the bridge is just one component of a regional transportation plan for Metro Vancouver.
“We are also talking about regional transportation plan – this is one piece of it,” she said. “This is the first major announcement but there are going to be more announcements to come.”
