The Pattullo Bridge replacement will not open until fall 2025, nearly two years after it was projected to open.
The project started in February 2020 right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the bridge was set to open to traffic sometime in late 2023, but in 2021 the the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure pushed the timeline forward to 2024.
On Friday (May 24) they announced the opening would be delayed again.
The project has faced many challenges since it started the the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said in a news release Friday (May 24). “Including inflationary pressures and global supply issues related to the delivery of specialized components from around the world.”
The construction of the bridge tower also took longer than expected which added to the delays and pushed the opening date again. The new bridge is now projected to open in the of fall 2025.
“The complexity of the project and the unique and sensitive environment in which it is being built,” has also added to the delays, the release reads.
“Despite these challenges, progress has been made. All necessary structural materials for the bridge have been secured, and the 167-metre-tall bridge tower is complete.”
Once completed, the four-lane bridge – which will have the potential to expand to six lanes in the future – will include “high-quality” walking and cycling paths connecting to the bridge, and “wide multi-use paths” in both directions on the bridge, separated from traffic by barriers.
In Vancouver, the Broadway Subway Project has also been delayed with it now expected to open in Fall 2027. It was originally set to open in 2025.
The project will add 5.7 kilometres and six stations to the Millennium Line between VCC-Clark and Arbutus Street.
B.C. Minister Of Transportation Rob Fleming stated in a news release Friday that the projects are making “tremendous” progress despite the challenges both have faced. “These projects will move people and goods more quickly and safely around the Lower Mainland,” Fleming stated.
For more on the bridge replacement, visit pattullobridgereplacement.ca.
READ MORE: New Pattullo Bridge timeline delayed, now projected to open in 2024
-With files from Lauren Collins
