TransLink is willing to work with the municipalities most impacted by the Pattullo Bridge replacement project.
TransLink has informed the City of New Westminster that it is prepared to establish a "collaborative process" with New Westminster and Surrey to undertake a comprehensive review of a number of issues.
"It's intended to be a comprehensive review," said Jim Lowrie, the city's director of engineering. "We are pleased to see that."
The review will include: all practical solutions for crossings and crossing locations; bridge capacity and lane allocations; implications of current and future projects (including South Fraser Perimeter Road/ Port Mann/Highway 1 connections) and rapid transit projects; through-traffic in the municipalities, particularly truck traffic; and consistency with local and regional transportation initiatives.
"Our next step is to meet with TransLink and the City of Surrey to scope out a plan. All of those things are up for review," Lowrie said. "We intend to meet to prepare a work plan to look at these issues and the timelines for that. TransLink has suggested a reasonable time frame would be between now and early 2013."
Darren Woodworth, who is TransLink's project manager for the Pattullo Bridge replacement, said TransLink is "very happy" to be moving forward with the cities of New Westminster and Surrey on a collaborative process that will identify practical solutions for the bridge replacement project. He said the goal is to find solutions that consider the social, economic and environmental impacts of the bridge, meet the current and future needs of New Westminster, Surrey and the region, and address all modes of transportation.
Officials from TransLink and the two cities will meet to determine how to move forward, and to share information.
Earlier in the year, TransLink held meetings to get input from the public about variations of a proposal that would see a new six-lane bridge built either upstream or downstream from the existing Pattullo Bridge. In the past week, TransLink has held four open houses in New Westminster and Surrey to update the public about the results of that process.
Although TransLink had been seeking input about a six-lane bridge near the existing crossing, it is now willing to review all "practical solutions" for crossings and crossing locations, as well as bridge capacity and lane allocations.
Woodworth said TransLink has been impressed with the attendance at the open houses and has been getting "good feedback" that will assist in the ongoing planning process.
"We are happy with the public participation we are getting in Surrey and New Westminster," he said. "It's really great they are coming out because we want to hear their concerns."
At this time, TransLink is proposing that additional work be undertaken on issues such as traffic management, road network connections and upgrades, pedestrian and bicycle connections, neighbourhood traffic impact mitigation, esthetics and urban integration and baseline information for environmental assessment.
"The objective of all this work would be to produce one or more agreements between TransLink and the two cities as to how the current situation with the Pattullo Bridge is to be rectified," wrote Sany Zein, TransLink's director of roads, in a letter to the City of New Westminster. "It is suggested that a reasonable and achievable target for completion of this work is early 2013. We also acknowledge that the two cities will need to put a significant effort into participation in these processes, and " we are prepared to consider making some financial resources available to assist them in this regard."
TransLink notes that technical studies have revealed that the 1937 Pattullo Bridge is "nearing the end of its useful and reliable life" because of issues related to structure, seismic condition, roadway safety and riverbed scour of the foundation.
"TransLink must act on this information," Zein wrote. "Nevertheless, it is clear - there are a number of significant issues that need to be resolved before TransLink can move forward to a solution for this crossing in the manner we would prefer, which is in partnership with the two directly affected cities and in consultation with the public and interested parties."
New West city council has not taken a formal position on the bridge replacement, but has indicated it does not support any initiatives that increase traffic capacity on roads in the city.
New West has been exploring the replacement of Pattullo Bridge within its own master transportation plan, rather than participating in TransLink's planning process. The city believes the Pattullo Bridge needs to be considered within the context of New Westminster's overall transportation network, and has stressed that all options for the bridge need to be considered as part of the process.
As the process moves forward, Woodworth said the two cities will be more involved in the Pattullo Bridge planning process, and future open houses about the project will be hosted by TransLink and the cities of New Westminster and Surrey.
Mayor Wayne Wright said the city supports ongoing discussion with TransLink, neighbouring municipalities and the province about the Pattullo Bridge replacement project.
"I don't think you can do too much consultation," he said. "It will be a good bellwether for both sides. This is too big a project not to get it right."
Woodworth noted that TransLink owns the Pattullo Bridge so the project is its responsibility.
"At this point, it's TransLink and the two cities," he said about the process. "We are keeping the province informed."
With New Westminster's population set to grow significantly in the coming years, Woodworth said one of the goals is to determine how to best serve the city.
"We do see it as a significant piece to regional transportation, especially goods movement," he said "It also does serve a local component as well."
During a recent meeting with B.C. Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom, Wright said city officials stressed that the estimated cost of $1 billion to build a new six-lane Pattullo Bridge shouldn't be spent on a project that won't improve the region's transportation network.
tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
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