Province says new Port Mann bridge will get plenty of use
Posted December 1, 2012 8:07 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS1130) – There may be some bumps along the road at the beginning, but in the end it will be well worth the tolls.
BC’s Transportation Minister says drivers will use the new Port Mann Bridge, despite some criticisms.
There have been complaints that drivers will clog up other free routes like the South Fraser Perimeter Road and the Pattullo Bridge, just to avoid the tolls.
But Mary Polak says that won’t last, and people will eventually realize the Port Mann is much faster.
“It certainly is a challenge when you have to deal with ongoing construction on a project this size, but we will get to a place where this has a dramatic effect on drivers all over the region.”
She adds people may not like the paying but there’s no evidence of that.
“Most are likely to be taking the Port Mann, the evidence of that is quite clear in the number of registrations. We had hoped to reach 300,000 by the end of February, and we’ve already surpassed the 300,000 mark.”
She says the new bridge, which typically sees 120,000 people crossing every day, will reduce one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in BC.
