Broadway Subway, Pattullo Bridge replacement projects delayed

The B.C. government has announced delays to two major infrastructure projects in the Lower Mainland.

In a release Friday, the province says commuters can expect months of delays on both the Pattullo Bridge Replacement and Broadway Subway projects.

The release said design and construction activities on the Broadway Subway Project have “taken longer than originally expected, including work to relocate major utilities and install traffic decks, while keeping traffic moving along Broadway.”

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The province claims that the most technically complex part of the process is over with the completion of the tunnel boring under Broadway, but that progress was delayed in part due to a five-week concrete strike in 2022.

While the subway line was once slated for 2026, the province now says it will open in fall of 2027.

Meanwhile, the release said the main tower for the new bridge — and now the tallest bridge tower in B.C. — connecting Surrey and New Westminster, is complete. But the replacement for the Pattullo bridge, which started in 2020, has also reportedly faced challenges like global supply issues.

“Despite facing significant global challenges, we’ve seen tremendous progress on both of these projects,” said Rob Fleming, B.C.’s minister of transportation and infrastructure. “These projects will move people and goods more quickly and safely around the Lower Mainland.”

As a result, the ministry says the new bridge is expected to open in fall of 2025.

“On projects of this size, delays have the potential to affect other construction activities,” the ministry said. “While mitigation efforts were made to recover both project schedules, it wasn’t always possible.”