COQUITLAM (NEWS1130) – It’s official. The province has set the opening date for the new Port Mann Bridge.

The bridge will open to eight lanes of traffic on December 1st, with tolling beginning a week later on December 8th.

The bridge will open gradually ahead of December 1st, with two lanes of westbound traffic opening this Saturday, November 17th. The province says this will allow crews to continue work on the Cape Horn Interchange.

December 1st also marks the completion of highway widening east of the Port Mann and the addition of more than 20 kilometres of new HOV lanes out to Langley.

“We’ve been asking drivers to ‘hang in there’ for years. Now a faster, more efficient Port Mann Bridge and Highway 1 really are just around the corner,” says Transportation Minister Mary Polak in a written statement.

Construction will continue past the December 1st opening, as crews work to complete the bridge to its full 10 lanes.