New Pitt River Bridge to Open Up Northeast Sector

April 22, 2005

            

PITT MEADOWS – Premier Gordon Campbell pledged today to improve traffic conditions and reduce drive times in the northeast sector by building a new Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill Bypass/Lougheed Highway interchange, as part of the BC Liberals’ Asia-Pacific Gateway Strategy.

 

The new $180 million Pitt River Bridge and interchange project is scheduled to begin construction next year, and be completed by 2009. The project is included in the Ministry of Transportation’s long-term plan, and is a key component of the government’s 2003 Gateway Transportation Strategy to open up the flow of goods, services, and people across the Lower Mainland.

 

Announced on Earth Day, the new high-level, six-lane bridge and interchange will reduce congestion and pollution caused by idling vehicles, helping to improve air quality in the Fraser Valley airshed.

 

“A new bridge across the Pitt River will help our economy, it will help our environment, and it will help families,” said Campbell. “Congestion in the Lower Mainland chokes our economy, it creates gridlock and pollution, and it robs people of time at home with their friends and family.”

 

Traffic over the four-lanes of the Pitt River bridges, built in 1956 and 1978, has almost tripled in the past two decades. In addition to delays created by opening for marine traffic, the nearly 30-year-old swing mechanisms have become increasingly unreliable, creating unplanned closures and long delays.

 

Campbell noted the government also committed $170 million last year to TransLink’s Northeast Sector Line, which will extend rapid transit to the Tri-Cities, ensuring the Gateway Strategy balances the needs for public transit and highway improvements. To be completed in partnership with TransLink and the federal government, the strategy also includes:

  • The RAV line from Richmond to Vancouver;
  • New perimeter roads on both sides of the Fraser River;
  • Improved border crossings and corridors to the United States;
  • Twinning the Port Mann Bridge, and widening Highway 1 from Vancouver to 200th Street.

 

“This is the power of a strong economy. This is our plan for a brighter future,” said Campbell. “British Columbians have a choice – they can move forward with the BC Liberal plan to open up British Columbia as our nation’s Asia-Pacific Gateway, or move backwards with the NDP who failed to meet the transportation and infrastructure needs of our province in the last decade.”

 

 

BACKGROUNDER

 

Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill Bypass/Lougheed Highway Interchange

  • The Pitt River Bridge will connect Pitt Meadows to Port Coquitlam on Highway 7.
  • The current bridges were built in 1956 and 1978, and the swing mechanisms are 27 and 30 years old.
  • At peak hours the four lanes on the two bridges are operating in a 3-1 pattern. Peak hour traffic is currently delayed by up to 17 minutes relative to free-flow conditions. By 2007, the delay will be up to 21 minutes. 
  • Daily traffic volume has almost tripled from 27,000 in 1985 to 78,000 in 2003, and is expected to increase to 88,000 by 2007. 
  • The project will involve construction of a new six-lane high-level bridge and a new interchange at the west end of the bridge, where the Lougheed Highway and Mary Hill Bypass meet.
  • Cost:
    • Pitt River Bridge Design/Construction = $84 million
    • Mary Hill/Lougheed Interchange Design/Construction = $80 million
    • Project Management and Land Costs= $16 million
    • Total cost (estimated) = $180 million
  • The congested Mary Hill Bypass/Lougheed Highway intersection needs to be converted into an interchange to fully capture the operational benefits of the new bridge.
  • Together with TransLink’s Golden Ears Bridge, opening in 2008, the new Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill Bypass will reduce congestion and open up transportation corridors through the entire region.

 

The Gateway Transportation Strategy

 

B.C. is Canada’s gateway to the world – and the Lower Mainland plays a key role in linking businesses and communities in our province and our nation to opportunities across the globe. According to a 2001 Transport Canada report, Lower Mainland gridlock costs our economy $1.5 billion per year.

 

Released in 2003, the Gateway Transportation Strategy aims to provide a modern, integrated transportation network for the Lower Mainland, balancing public transit with improved transportation corridors. Working with TransLink and the federal government, we are forging new links that will integrate the Lower Mainland road network with ports, airports, rail and rapid transit, cutting travel times for commuters, businesses, shippers and other travellers.

 

Projects include:

  • PORT MANN BRIDGE and HIGHWAY ONE WIDENING: Twinning the Port Mann Bridge and widening the Trans-Canada Highway to eight-lanes from Vancouver to Langley.
  • NORTH FRASER PERIMETER ROAD: Developing the North Fraser Perimeter Road which expands the capacity of existing arterial routes on the north bank of the Fraser River from Maple Ridge to New Westminster and on to Vancouver.
  • SOUTH FRASER PERIMETER ROAD: Developing the South Fraser Perimeter Road, a primarily four-lane, intersection-free commercial route along the south bank of the Fraser River connecting Highways 1, 91 and 99, reducing trip times by up to 15 minutes.
  • RAV LINE: Building the RAV line to alleviate congestion in the Richmond-Vancouver corridor, one of the busiest in the Lower Mainland.
  • NORTHEAST SECTOR LINE: The government has committed $170 million to TransLink, to enable extension of rapid transit to the Tri-Cities.
  • SEA-TO-SKY HIGHWAY: Upgrade the treacherous Sea-to-Sky Highway.
  • BORDER CROSSINGS: Working with the federal government to improve international border crossings on Highways 10, 11, 13, 15, 91, 91A, 99, and 8th Avenue in Surrey.