New West mayor looks ahead to Pattullo Bridge replacement

NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) – After months of rehab work on the Pattullo Bridge, it’s now fully open to traffic — but what will the eventual replacement crossing look like?

There are a few things on New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote’s wishlist.

LISTEN: New Westminster mayor Jonathan Cote joins NEWS 1130 anchors John Ackermann and Alison Bailey

 

“The bridge will be similar in terms of size,” Cote says. “It’s contemplated to be a four-lane bridge. I think there’s going to be some opportunities with the bridge to have better connections both on the New Westminster and Surrey side, but for the most part, it’s expected to be an upgraded but very similar bridge.”

He’d like the bridge kept to a maximum of four lanes, and for the province and feds to work with TransLink to get things moving on a replacement sooner rather than later.

“A new bridge of that scale, we’re talking in the $1-billion range,” says Cote. “So these are certainly not low ticket items. But I think the region has known for a long time that this bridge is going to need to be replaced. We just need to figure out over the next year and a bit what are the different funding sources to make the replacement happen.”

Additionally, Cote hopes the new bridge, which would likely connect to New West further upstream, links in a more fluid way with the traffic system, ensuring smoother commutes.

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