The provincial government says it鈥檚 鈥渕oving forward鈥� with the construction of a Pattullo Bridge replacement, estimated to cost $1.377 billion.
The project will be 鈥渄elivered solely by the province,鈥� according to a release.
Premier John Horgan made the announcement in New Westminster this morning, joined by Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson.
鈥淭his is an essential transportation link that British Columbians rely on, and it鈥檚 our job to make sure it鈥檚 safe and gets people moving better,鈥� Horgan said in a release. 鈥淩eplacing the Pattullo Bridge will help people get home to their families quickly and safely, while creating good jobs for local workers.鈥�
The project, expected to open to traffic in 2023, includes a new four-lane Pattullo Bridge that will be located upstream of the existing one, network connections in Surrey and New Westminster, and the removal of the existing bridge.
The province also says there will be 鈥渟moother connections鈥� on and off the new bridge, with new direct road connections between the bridge and East Columbia Street in New Westminster, and a new direct off-ramp from the bridge to westbound Highway 17 in Surrey.
According to the province, the bridge will be built to 鈥渕odern safety standards鈥� with a centre safety median barrier and wider lanes to accommodate both passenger and commercial vehicles.
It will also have walking and cycling lanes, separate from traffic, the government says.
TransLink says the province taking on the costs of the new project won鈥檛 free it up to spend money elsewhere.
鈥淚t will lessen the debt load TransLink would鈥檝e had to take on to deliver the new bridge,鈥� explained TransLink spokeswoman Jill Drews, noting that in earlier plans, tolls would have recouped the transit authority鈥檚 contribution.
TransLink will continue to operate the existing bridge, until such time that it is decommissioned, Drews added.
Shortly after the announcement, the Surrey Board of Trade issued a release saying it is 鈥減leased鈥� with the plan.
鈥淗owever, the Surrey Board of Trade asks the B.C. government to re-consider an opening of four lanes to six lanes to accommodate certain population growth in the region,鈥� said Anita Huberman, CEO of SBOT. 鈥淲e must prepare for transportation infrastructure for future population growth.鈥�
In 2013, the cities of Surrey and New Westminster had a public disagreement regarding how many lanes the bridge should have.
Surrey sought six, while New Westminster wanted it to remain a four-lane crossing.
New Westminster councillors argued the roads in that city couldn鈥檛 support increased traffic and that road infrastructure was quite primitive, with no capacity to expand aside from tunnelling. But Surrey councillors said the increasing population in the city and region called for a larger bridge.
In its鈥� 10-year vision, the Mayors鈥� Council on Regional Transportation landed on four.
After Friday鈥檚 announcement, Mayor Linda Hepner said is 鈥渉appy to see the Pattullo Bridge is out of the gate,鈥� adding 鈥淚鈥檓 never walking the old one again.鈥�
鈥淗opefully it will be expandable to six lanes in the future,鈥� said Hepner. 鈥淲e made a deal with New Westminster to settle for four鈥� on the basis that it would be expandable.鈥�
The province says it will.
But, Hepner noted, the context of the conversation changed when the NDP government removed bridge tolls last year.
鈥淲ith the absence of tolls on the other bridges, I鈥檓 more comfortable that in the short term, a new four-lane bridge will serve us,鈥� she elaborated. 鈥淲ith those other mobility options in play, like the LRT, our cross-community connections will be better and even as we grow, we may not see as many back and forth trips on the bridge.鈥�
Hepner added: 鈥淚 think our residents will be happy.鈥�
Minister Trevana said in a release that the government is 鈥渕aking sure all people who use the bridge can benefit from a safer crossing and easier connections into New Westminster and Surrey, whether by walking, driving or cycling.鈥�
Minister Robinson said the replacement will solve 鈥渙ne of the region鈥檚 biggest transportation problems.鈥�
Once complete, the new crossing will be owned, operated and maintained by the Government of British Columbia.
The request for qualifications (RFQ) phase of a competitive procurement process is to be launched later this spring, with start of construction in summer 2019.
The structure is 80 years old and the Mayors鈥� Council on Regional Transportation has been awaiting a funding commitment from the provincial government.
On the Pattullo鈥檚 80th birthday last November, Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner said the region deserves this infrastructure improvement and in order to meet the timeline for replacement, construction and provincial funding decisions need to be made immediately.
See also: (Nov. 15, 2017)
Initially, the premise was that tolls would help pay for the replacement bridge. The NDP have since eliminated tolls, leaving uncertainty around how the new crossing will be funded.
鈥淲e have an expectation for the province to fund (the bridge),鈥� Hepner said last November. 鈥淐learly mobility pricing will also play into options. For procurement to advance, we need that provincial decision.鈥�
Last July, Hepner during a tour of the Pattullo that aimed to highlight the crossing鈥檚 deterioration.
See more:
Joking that she 鈥渢ook one for the team,鈥� Hepner said it was 鈥渃ritical funding is secured鈥� by the end of 2017 in order to have a replacement by 2023.
鈥淭here could not be a better message that I took one for the team to show that this bridge needs to be replaced,鈥� said Hepner of her tumble at the time.
The crossing was constructed on Nov. 15, 1937.
amy.reid@surreynowleader.com
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