Concerns ahead of week-long Lower Mainland bridge closures

Drivers are one week away from a major traffic disruption.

Beginning at 8 p.m. on Feb. 6, both the Pattullo and stal̕əw̓asəm bridges will be shut down for at least a week as crews connect the new crossing to roads on either side.

That means you’ll have to include additional time into your commute and expect extra volume and potential delays on the Alex Fraser and Port Mann bridges.

New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone tells 1130 NewsRadio the whole process of the ongoing construction has been challenging.

“We’ve had a lot of different types of traffic disruption during the construction project, and closing both bridges for a week is definitely one of those larger impacts,” Johnstone said.

“We have been through this before. We’ve been through times in the past when the Pattullo Bridge has been closed for a period of time because of lane alignment, or other changes they’ve done to the bridge in the past and it’s always pretty disruptive to New Westminster.”

Johnstone adds that what’s been helpful is the communication about closures ahead of time so people can plan their lives.

“Unpredictability makes it very difficult for people to adjust how they travel through the city,” he said.

“In previous years, when we had full closures of the bridge, ironically, traffic in New Westminster went down quite a bit. It’s been quite peaceful, because of the number of through commuters… and allows local residents to get around quite a bit easier during the closure.”

“However, it doesn’t change the fact that people in New Westminster and people around the region still have to get through and across the bridge, and they’ll have to change their schedules.”

He adds those who live near the crossings are the most impacted.

Johnstone says the opening of the new crossing can’t come soon enough, but he outlines one major concern.

“I think we all want to see a safer crossing. I think the old bridge was not up to modern safety standards, and there is a history of tragedy on that bridge,” he said.

“I think the other concern is about the impacts of traffic here on local streets in New Westminster. This is not a freeway bridge in the middle of nowhere. This is a bridge that lands right in the centre of one of the densest residential neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland. I’m concerned about the potential increase in speeding on our roads because a faster bridge means people will want to carry that speed into the community more.”

That includes the extra vehicles for a city that doesn’t quite have the infrastructure to handle them.

The completed Riverview Bridge will include what’s described as modern, wider lanes separated by a centre median barrier, and wider walking and cycling paths in both directions. The province has also promised commuters from New Westminster and Surrey improved connections and upgrades to the existing road networks on both sides of the new bridge.

Once all four lanes open, the new crossing will once again connect to King George Boulevard in Surrey and McBride Boulevard in New Westminster. The off-ramp to Columbia Street will also be open.

“The new Royal Avenue on-ramp, Columbia Street loop-ramp, and Highway 17 off-ramp will open in phases, as they can not be completed until sections of the connecting roadways and the Pattullo Bridge have been removed,” says the province’s website.

It adds, “A local closure of Columbia Street between McBride Boulevard and Elliot Street, for approximately one month, will be required to deconstruct the Pattullo Bridge and build the new Columbia loop-ramp.”

Drivers can expect further headaches as some parts of the new bridge can’t be completely finished until the old crossing is dismantled — a process expected to take at least two years.

The estimated cost for the project is $1.637 billion.

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~With files from Ben Bouguerra