Busy 4-lane bridge being replaced with 6 lanes, so why will only 4 be open to traffic?
If the plan to replace the aging four-lane bridge connecting two growing Metro Vancouver cities is to add two more lanes to the crossing, why is the province only planning to open four of the new lanes?
It's a question being asked by the Surrey Board of Trade in an open letter to the provincial Ministry of Transportation.
In the letter published online Monday, the board asks why the province and the ministry are planning a six-lane bridge, if only four will be used regularly.
The new bridge will replace the Pattullo Bridge between Surrey and New Westminster, and according to the board, indications are that the "four lanes will suffice for the time being."
The board said it wrote the letter "to determine what it will take to have the new Pattullo Bridge open with six lanes given continued population growth and traffic congestion issues."
The letter, addressed to Transportation Minister Rob Fleming, asks what event would trigger the opening of all six, or how long that's expected to take.
The new bridge is expected to open in 2024, and the board said at that time, all six lanes should be available for drivers. Drivers shouldn't have to wait any longer, for some undetermined point in the future, for a solution to congestion in the area.
Would that point be when a certain population target is reached, the board wondered in the letter, or when other bridges are so backed up it's the only option?
"Replacing a 4-lane bridge with another 4-lane bridge in the face of continued population growth and limited transit options is not productive to ensure we have a resilient economy," Surrey Board of Trade president and CEO Anita Huberman said in the letter.
The board said it's sent other letters in the past. It's now asking for a detailed plan from the ministry that includes what indicators will prompt the full opening of the bridge.
CTV News reached out to the ministry for comment, and received a response the next day.
In an email, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation said the decision to build a four-lane bridge "that is expandable to six lanes" was made after "extensive stakeholder and public engagement," and noted that the decision was made by TransLink and the Mayors' Council.
As for when the expansion to six lanes would occur, it's still unclear.
"The province will monitor the new bridge's traffic performance and will consult with the municipalities and the Mayors' Council to develop an appropriate response to the bridge's traffic performance," the ministry said.
"Expansion to six lanes would be put into place only after consultation among the province, Indigenous groups including local First Nations, the cities of New Westminster and Surrey and the Mayors' Council."
In the event that traffic is widened to six lanes, the walking and cycling lanes will become vehicle lanes, and new walking and cycling paths will have to be added to the outside of the bridge, "cantilevered from the existing structure," the ministry said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.