Dear Editor:
A six-lane Pattullo Bridge would not ease the congestion problems for Surrey commuters without hugely expensive and disruptive changes to New Westminster's network of roads.
We are 20-year residents living near the New Westminster entrance to the bridge. When we walk or drive through the city, we see firsthand the
increase in traffic jams on the Stewardson-Front-Brunette corridor, the McBride-10th corridor, and the Royal-Sixth-Eighth corridors. A six-lane replacement bridge would simply dump more traffic onto these already congested streets.
Look at a map and the topography of our city. Several of these streets are squeezed between the Fraser River, railroad tracks, SkyTrain and steep embankments. Other streets border on four schools or pass through residential areas.
The East Columbia-Brunette connection leading to Coquitlam is a massive bottleneck.
These streets were never meant to carry the auto and truck traffic that now converges from all directions. The high cost of wider roads bordering and cutting through New West, the resulting disruption to the city's residents, and the increased noise and pollution must all be factored into the final decision about the size and location of a new bridge.
The best solution? Build a four-lane bridge starting near 130th Street in Surrey and connecting to Highway 1 through industrial land in Coquitlam.
According to TransLink, the estimated additional cost of a Surrey-Coquitlam bridge and a rehabilitated two or three-lane Pattullo - as opposed to a six-lane Pattullo replacement - is about $500 million. That's about the same cost as the provincially financed, retractable roof at B.C. Place.
If a new crossing is so important for the movement of goods regionally and across Canada, why won't the provincial and federal governments step up to fully finance this vital link?
It's going to take several years before we get another bridge, no matter its size and location. Some of the Pattullo's safety issues must be addressed now. The money invested need not be wasted. A fully rehabilitated bridge would provide many years of useful service.
Mike Divine, New Westminster
