The B.C. government is using highway signs to remind drivers how much time they could save using the Port Mann Bridge in a bid to get more commuters on the crossing.
The Ministry of Transportation said it’s displaying travel times on eight overhead signs on Highway 1 to woo back the motorists who have been avoiding the bridge since the toll kicked in.
“These signs will reinforce the benefits of the Port Mann,” Minister Todd Stone said Thursday.
The announcement was made at an event celebrating the completion of the Port Mann-Highway 1 Improvement Project, but it might be too soon for congratulations.
Many drivers told CTV Vancouver they already know they can save time on the Port Mann, but their desire to save money often wins out.
Because of lower-than-expected traffic, the bridge lost $89 million last year – something Stone didn’t want to discuss at Thursday’s event.
“Over the last seven or eight months, traffic volumes are increasing,” Stone said.
But there are still only about 100,000 crossings per day, fewer than the old bridge, which had 110,000 crossings in 2011.
NDP MLA Harry Bains pointed out volumes are also still way off the government’s initial projections.
“[It’s] 42 per cent less than what they estimated that the traffic would be, so mismanagement right from the beginning,” Bains said.
Despite a disappointing showing last year, B.C. insists the bridge will be paid off by 2050.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Mi-Jung Lee
