Completion of Pattullo Bridge replacement project delayed

CBC
·2 min read
The Pattullo Bridge connecting New Westminster and Surrey is seen in February 2020. The province has announced yet another delay on the project to replace the bridge, with the new opening scheduled for fall 2025. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC - image credit)
The Pattullo Bridge connecting New Westminster and Surrey is seen in February 2020. The province has announced yet another delay on the project to replace the bridge, with the new opening scheduled for fall 2025. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC - image credit)

The B.C. government says its replacement for the Pattullo Bridge has been delayed and will now open in fall 2025.

It's been four years since the province started construction of a bridge to replace the Pattullo Bridge, which connects Surrey and New Westminster, B.C.

While it was originally scheduled to be in service last fall, the Transport Ministry said in a statement that the replacement bridge is now scheduled to open in fall 2025.

"On projects of this size, delays have the potential to affect other construction activities," a ministry spokesperson said. "Once complete, the bridge will provide a safer commute."

The current Pattullo Bridge has four lanes of traffic. Opposing directions of traffic are divided by plastic stakes, and pedestrians and cyclists share a sidewalk crossing the bridge.

In 2016, a report presented to TransLink's board of directors showed the bridge does not meet modern wind and seismic safety standards. The report to Metro Vancouver's transit authority recommended the bridge be replaced no later than 2024.

The replacement bridge is designed to have four traffic lanes, with the potential to be expanded to six. The lanes are planned to be wider than on the existing bridge.

The replacement is also planned to have dedicated cycling and pedestrian lanes.

The province also claims the new bridge will include the tallest bridge tower in British Columbia.

Years of delays

In 2020, a team of contractors collectively known as the Fraser Crossing Partners was awarded a $967.5 million contract to replace the bridge. Construction began that February.

About a year into construction, the opening of the bridge was delayed from 2023 to 2024. At the time, the government attributed delays to on-site investigative work, and permitting hold-ups due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This rehabilitation work on the Pattullo Bridge is expected to extend the life of the bridge until a replacement is built. A replacement bridge could take five to seven years to build, according to TransLink.
This rehabilitation work on the Pattullo Bridge is expected to extend the life of the bridge until a replacement is built. A replacement bridge could take five to seven years to build, according to TransLink.

The province says the new bridge will include the tallest bridge tower in British Columbia. (CBC)

In a statement Friday, the province announced the project would be delayed another year.

It said the delays were due to "inflationary pressures and global supply issues" and added the bridge tower, which is now complete, took longer to build than expected.