SURREY (NEWS1130) – If you’re counting on a discount at the Port Mann Bridge by being an HOV driver, make sure you don’t take the 152 Street interchange.

If you merge there, it’s not possible to get under the toll structure in the right spot. Max Logan with the Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement Project says you’ll have to head east to new HOV ramps at 156 Street instead.

“Given the very high volumes of traffic that we see at that interchange, HOV users are likely going to prefer using 156 Street because it’ll be HOV-only, so they’ll be contending with less traffic,” he points out.

He insists it’s not a design flaw.

“The new Port Mann Bridge, which is going to be wider; the new 152 interchange; and the new on and off-ramps for HOV at 156th in fact are all going to work together. [They are] specifically designed to work together to help unclog the bottleneck.”

Logan adds the 152 Street interchange has long-contributed to much of the congestion on the Port Mann.