B.C. Premier John Horgan has announced the NDP’s plans to replace the aging Pattullo Bridge.
Construction on the four-lane $1.337-billion project will begin in the summer of 2019 with a completion date of 2023, and will be solely funded by the province.
Horgan said the bridge will have the capacity to expand to six lanes in the future, but that the province believes the removal of tolls on the Port Mann and addition of a new lane on the Alex Fraser Bridge will reduce congestion.
Horgan appeared alongside Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson.
LISTEN: Jonathan Cote on replacing the Pattullo Bridge
Replacing the 79-year-old Pattullo Bridge is one of the top priorities for the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation but there has been no agreement on how to pay for the new Translink-operated bridge.
The government is expected to announce a timeline for replacement and how it will be paid for.
Speaking on CKNW’s The Jon McComb Show, New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote said solving that funding issue is the final hurdle before the project can be sent to procurement and construction begin.
“We’re actually quite far along. I think TransLink and the region has realized that this bridge is reaching the end of its life for quite some time,” Cote said.
“So the concept designs for the bridge and how it connects to the city of Surrey and the City of New Westminster… A lot of thought and work has been put into that.”
The bridge was the only infrastructure project mentioned directly in Tuesday’s Speech from the Throne.
Coverage of the Pattullo Bridge on Globalnews.ca:
“The Pattullo Bridge is a critical piece of transportation infrastructure for Lower Mainland drivers,” the speech read.
“But in less than five years, the bridge will no longer be in use because it will no longer be safe. This is why the government is moving quickly to replace the Pattullo Bridge, to keep commuters safe and keep people moving.”