New replacement Pattullo Bridge is too small, says Surrey mayor | Urbanized - Daily Hive

“It was a shortsighted decision to replace a four-lane bridge with a four-lane bridge,” says Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke.

In a rather pointed statement issued today solely criticizing the ongoing project to replace the Pattullo Bridge, Locke says the new replacement crossing should have been built with more traffic lanes from the get-go.

The decision to proceed with a four-lane replacement bridge “was done despite Surrey’s rapidly growing population and increased traffic demands. The province should be investing in modern infrastructure that will support only the needs of the present but also of the future. This lack of foresight in infrastructure investment will not only worsen congestion, but also threaten to stifle the economic growth and development of Surrey.”

Locke’s statement comes after last week’s revelation by the provincial government that the current construction project to complete and open the new replacement bridge is further delayed from later in 2024 to Fall 2025. When the $1.38 billion project began major construction work in Spring 2021, it was originally slated for a late 2023 opening.

As of this month, construction has progressed to the completion of the bridge’s main in-river tower and the installation of the first segment of the bridge deck with suspension cables. Work continues on completing the approaches and upgraded road networks on both sides of the Fraser River.

Construction progress on the new Pattullo Bridge, as of May 2024. (Government of BC)

Artistic rendering of the new Pattullo Bridge. (Fraser Crossing Partners)

“The provincial government has mandated cities to create more housing, yet the province is falling far short on delivering the necessary infrastructure to support that growth,” continues the Mayor’s statement.

“On top of the acute shortage of schools and healthcare facilities in Surrey, the continued delay of the Pattullo crossing is yet another example of the lack of foresight in the housing plan the province has imposed on municipalities.”

Locke says that when the current four-lane Pattullo Bridge was built in 1937, Surrey’s population was about 12,500, while New Westminster’s was about 20,000. Since then, Surrey has grown to nearly 700,000, and New Westminster is approaching 100,000.

The existing Pattullo Bridge sees 15,300 vehicles per lane on average, making it the fifth busiest provincial crossing. In contrast, the busiest crossing, the George Massey Tunnel, sees an average of over 21,000 vehicles per lane. In total, the Pattullo Bridge sees a daily average of 61,000 vehicles per day.

Deck of the Pattullo Bridge looking north towards New Westminster. (Google Maps)

Artistic rendering of the final 2020 design for the new Pattullo Bridge. (Government of BC)

Artistic rendering of the final 2020 design for the new Pattullo Bridge. (Government of BC)

The decision to proceed with a new replacement four-lane bridge — two lanes in each direction — stems from the City of New Westminster’s opposition a decade ago that a larger bridge would bring more regional arterial vehicle traffic into its streets. Due to the region’s geography and the placement of several critical regional crossings across the Fraser River, it can be expected that regional arterial traffic would gravitate and pass through New Westminster.

At the time, TransLink was leading the design and planning efforts for the new replacement bridge due to the existing bridge’s age, deteriorating condition, and severe structural vulnerabilities to high winds, seismic events, and ship strikes. TransLink owns and operates the existing Pattullo Bridge, which will be demolished immediately after the new bridge opens.

In 2018, the provincial government assumed control of the new replacement Pattullo Bridge, which will be delivered, owned, and operated solely by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. At the time, this move was due to TransLink’s financial pressures and to better enable the public transit authority to focus on public transit expansion projects.

The provincial government adopted TransLink’s design principles of building a four-lane bridge with wider lanes and a concrete barrier between lane directions that together enable more capacity from higher safe speed limits than the existing bridge. There will also be a new off-ramp from the bridge’s southbound direction and Highway 17’s westbound direction and wide pathways for pedestrians and cyclists.

Early concepts considered a decade ago included a six-lane bridge with brand-new purpose-built interchanges and road connections in Surrey and New Westminster. This includes an early concept of an interchange flyover that seamlessly connects the Pattullo Bridge with King George Boulevard and Scott Road and creates on- and off-ramps between the bridge and Highway 17’s eastbound direction.

Previous early concept for a more ambitious road network on the Surrey end of the new Pattullo Bridge:

Early plan for extensive road connection improvements in Surrey for the new Pattullo Bridge. (TransLink)

Final design concept for the Pattullo Bridge’s road connections in Surrey:

Final reduced road connections plan for the Pattullo Bridge in Surrey. (Government of BC)

Over the years, both TransLink and later the provincial government have maintained that the new four-lane bridge can be expanded as a six-lane bridge in the future when desired. This would be achieved by cantilevered deck widening to relocate the pedestrian and cyclist pathways and narrowing the width of the four lanes.

As a result, the current project primarily addresses the existing bridge’s structural safety deficiencies instead of significantly increasing transportation capacity.

“The Ministry of Transportation claims that ‘the bridge will be built to allow for potential future expansion to six lanes.’ Well, the future is now, and we need a six-lane Pattullo Bridge today,” states Locke.

Over the years, the Surrey Board of Trade has also repeatedly called for a six-lane Pattullo Bridge upon opening.

Artistic rendering of the new Pattullo Bridge. (TransLink)

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2024-05-28 20:25:00Z
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