Port Mann Bridge still in the red
Posted February 23, 2017 11:01 am.
Last Updated February 23, 2017 12:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Port Mann Bridge is still bleeding money, even though government expectations had the toll crossing in the black by this year.
The bridge is expected to lose $90 million this year and $172 million over the next two years while ridership remains lower than expected as drivers head for the toll-free Alex Fraser.
Delta Mayor Lois Jackson says it’s time to slap a flat fee on all of the region’s bridges so everybody is on the same page.
“Do them all. The Second Narrows some time will have to be replaced, and the Lions Gate, the Arthur Laing, Oak Street. They’re all going to have to be replaced someday,” says Jackson.
New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote is open to that possibility but says it’s too early to commit to it without exploring all alternatives.
“I think it’s premature to pick one option over the other but I do think that’s one option that should be seriously considered.”
And with a provincial election looming, NDP transportation critic Claire Trevena is pointing the finger at Transport Minister Todd Stone for what she calls inaction.
“Whether or not all the bridges should be tolled, this is something that the transportation minister has been promising to come forward with for four years now and still no sign of anything,” says Trevena, who isn’t sold on a regional toll.
“We do have to look at how we are managing traffic right through the Lower Mainland. The mayors have a plan where they want to invest in public transit. This is one great way to ease congestion and make sure people are able to move through freely.”
The transportation minister is disagreeing with any negative attitudes towards the bridge.
“We’re on plan with the Port Mann Bridge. When the final budget was approved and we began construction we said that the entire debt for this bridge would be paid off before 2050. That continues to be the case today,” says Todd Stone.
He says traffic on the bridge continues to grow in volume every year.
“We understand that there is probably going to be a point in time where a review of the provincial tolling policy will be required.”
He doesn’t want the Alex Fraser to become the only bridge without a toll in the region.
He says the decisions on tolling for the George Massey Tunnel replacement and the Pattullo Bridge will take years, so there is plenty of time to take a look at the tolling strategy.
