The B.C. NDP government is making good on an election promise to replace the 80-year-old Pattullo Bridge with a new four-lane bridge.
The new bridge with include cycling and pedestrian paths on each side and will be designed so that its four lanes can eventually be expanded to six lanes.
“But it’s our view, and the view of TransLink, and officials at Ministry of Transportation, that four lanes with an ability to go to six is appropriate at this time,” Horgan said at a Friday morning press conference.
Whether pulling the trigger on the Pattullo means the replacement of the George Massey Tunnel is now indefinitely on hold remains to be seen. Horgan said his government is still studying the issue and plans to have a report on the George Massey Tunnel completed this spring.
Asked if Ottawa will be contributing to the bridge’s costs, Horgan said that is up for discussion.
“We’ll be discussing with Ottawa any opportunities for joint participation,” Horgan said.
But given the increasingly frosty relationship between B.C. and Ottawa over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, it will be interesting to see how those discussions unfold.
The Pattullo currently has average daily traffic of 68,000 vehicles, said Transportation Minister Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena.
By contrast, the George Massey Tunnel has 80,000 daily crossings. For the business community, the George Massey Tunnel replacement project was considered the highest priority, since it is an important part for the movement of goods to shipping terminals and BC Ferries.
But for the Mayors Council of Regional Transportation, the Pattullo was identified as a priority, not the George Massey Tunnel.
Horgan said the Pattullo project marks a new, improved relationship between the provincial government and Mayors Council.
“This is not just a bridge across the river, it’s a bridge between governments,” Horgan said.