The new Port Mann Bridge will be a single, 10-lane span, costing over $3 billion to build, announced Premier Gordon Campbell at the site of the future bridge on Wednesday.
Drivers will pay a $3 toll each way to use the bridge, which is expected to be completed in 2013.
The cost of the toll could go up each year, depending on inflation and it was estimated that the tolls could be in place for up to 40 years.
Worked had commenced Wednesday following the announcement, with the first pile for the bridge foundation being driven into the ground.
"The new Port Mann Bridge will be a first-class, state-of-the-art connector to clear traffic congestion on a critical transportation link across the Fraser River," said Premier Campbell in a release.
He said it would give truckers, transit users and commuters a faster, more efficient trip to and from destinations.
Highway 1 would also be expanded, with an extra lane in both directions on the south side of the bridge and two lanes each in either direction on the east side.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's St. John Alexander.
