The new Pattullo Bridge is expected to be open to traffic this December, in a phased approach, and during the process there will be no bridge crossing on either structures for about a week.
Wendy Itagawa, executive director of the Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project, walked Surrey council through what that will look like during an update at its Sept. 15 council-in-committee meeting.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke questioned the sense of replacing a four-lane bridge with a four-lane bridge. "It will just not suffice," she said.
Liberal Premier Thomas Dufferin Pattullo opened the existing bridge on Nov. 15, 1937. It cost $4 million to build and was a toll bridge until 1952. Roughly 30,000 spectators attended the opening, during a driving sleet storm.
Itagawa told council the new bridge will receive a First Nations name that's yet to be revealed. First Nations art will be included on the bridge. "Musqueam Indian Band and Kwanten First Nation are bestowing the new name of the bridge," she said. "We are following traditional protocols and more details about the name will be shared in the coming months."
"Given that the new bridge ties in to the existing road network – at King George and McBride – we need to do the opening in a phased approach," Itagawa added. "We will transition in a careful and planned way to the new bridge. We will need a full road closure of the existing bridge and the new bridge won't be open and that will be about a week where there's no crossing. So that is needed in order to do the roadwork that's needed at the interfaces of the bridge heads."
The existing bridge is controlled by TransLink while the new bridge is owned and will be operated and maintained by the provincial government's ministry of transportation. Once it's opened, a three-year review will begin related to adding additional lanes. "Once it's opened, the traffic and that performance of the bridge would be monitored," Itagawa said, toward maybe making it six lanes.
Coun. Harry Bains asked her if it's ultimately decided to make it six, after the three years are, up, how long would it take to get the job done.
"That's not yet decided," she replied. "I think that's something, probably a question we need to take back to the Province and the ministry on that. Right now the commitment is to open the bridge and see how it performs and discuss a framework and look over that three-year period how it performs. It will take some time for traffic to adjust once the bridge opens. We are anticipating that it will be a lot more efficient specifically with the new connections on and off the bridge."
Itagawa said October will see the finishing the bridge with all cables installed, "and the bridge will be structurally complete and will be connecting to the north side, to New West," and "then we'll be working on the finishes which includes the barriers, fencing. waterproofing and asphalt."
She said key features of the new bridge, with wider lanes, are improved safety and ease of travel as well as a new off-ramp from the bridge to Highway 17 – an important connection especially for trucks as well as "high-quality walking and cycling facilities as part of the project."
Itagawa said the new bridge is built to accommodate potential future expansion which would see the walking and cycling lanes along the outside converted to vehicle lanes and new walking and cycling paths would be added to the outside of the structure of the bridge, cantilevered off the sides.
There will be four phases, with no changes in Surrey in phase one but in New Westminster the Royal Avenue on-ramp will be closed for preparatory work for the full bridge closure and this will be for up to two weeks.
"Then we move into where both bridges are not open – so the new bridge isn't open yet and we have to close the Pattullo Bridge for approximately a week; we're hoping we can do that in a shorter time frame," she said. "And then we move to phase three, when the new bridge is open and this will be in December and this will be a spit of the new bridge and the old."
Itagawa explained at that point there will be some lanes open on the new bridge and the existing bridge. "And then the final configuration is the full traffic switch when all lanes are on the new bridge. After the bridge is open, we can't complete all of the connections and some of the multi-use paths until the new bridge is open and that we start removing part of the existing bridge because some of the existing bridge is in the way of some of these connections."
There will be closures on Highway 17 and notifications will be sent out about these.
The old bridge will be taken down over 2026 and 2027. "That includes removing the on-land structures then removing the above-water structures and then removing the below-water structures, so in the river, the foundations," Itagawa explained.
Barges will be used to transport the materials out and permitting is being pursued for this work.
Coun. Gordon Hepner asked if foreign steel was used in the project.
Itagawa replied there is a "robust" quality program in place with "overseas quality oversight" and provincial government oversight as well.
"Everything that's been on-site as well has been re-checked and so we are taking the highest standards and Canadian standards for the steel for this project."
