Golden Ears costs $5M more a year than expected

It has cost TransLink almost $5 million more to operate the new Golden Ears Bridge in its first year than was projected.

Lower-than-expected use of the tolled crossing of the Fraser River means it will cost $4.8 million more to operate in its first year than was estimated when the bridge between Langley and Maple Ridge was first proposed.

TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie said ridership estimates going back to 2004 projected daily use of the bridge would be 29,400 vehicles in its first year. But the actual daily average from July 16, 2009, through to March 2010 was only 20,600.

“What we see, though, is a trend that’s improving,” said Hardie optimistically.

In March, for instance, the peak volume hit an average of 26,200.

“We expect that to continue to build as spring and summer come on and there will be more motorcycles and more recreational vehicles,” said Hardie. “It’s getting close [to forecasted use]. We think in part that’s due to the economic recovery.”

The loss won’t turn into service cuts in the rest of TransLink’s operations.

“We saw this coming and we factored it into our budget,” said Hardie. “On a $1.2-billion budget, that is something that can be managed.”

Meanwhile, the two Albion ferries that were replaced by the bridge still haven’t been sold. The land around the terminal on the south side of the river has been promised to the Kwantlen First Nation, although Hardie said that is subject to negotiations with the province. And there is about half a hectare of land on the north side that TransLink intends to lease out.

Whatever happens with the ferries and toll revenue, politicians and businesses on both side of the Fraser are boosters of the bridge.

Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin believes the bridge is at least partially responsible for significant growth in his community.

In the first quarter of 2009, when the bridge still hadn’t opened, Maple Ridge approved development permits worth $24.8 million. That more than doubled to $58.4 million in the first quarter of 2010.

Daykin said the Real Estate Investment Network has ranked Maple Ridge second behind Surrey and ahead of Abbotsford.

“I don’t even know if we made the top 10″ before the bridge opened, said Daykin.

“It’s going to be a good thing for Maple Ridge at the end of the day,” he said.

Langley Township Mayor Rick Green also believes the bridge is a positive thing for his community even though “we’ve seen more traffic, obviously.”

Green also pointed to more business at his community’s malls and big-box retail stores.

The toll to cross the bridge is $2.75 to $3.90 for cars, depending on whether you’ve registered with TransLink and have a transponder.

fluba@theprovince.com