Metro Vancouver drivers are in for a Valentine’s Day treat as the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge will soon reopen to commuters after a week-long closure. However, it’s a bittersweet time for local drivers as it coincides with the permanent closure of the Pattullo Bridge to all vehicles.
Fraser Crossing Partners, which is designing, building, and partially financing the bridge replacement, announced that stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge (Riverview Bridge) will open all four lanes to traffic on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 7 a.m.
This comes after both crossings were closed around-the-clock to facilitate the connection of the roadways on either side to the new span.
Pattullo Bridge
Drivers can access the stal̕əw̓asəm bridge via McBride Boulevard and the new Royal Avenue on-ramp in New Westminster, as well as on King George Boulevard in Surrey.
While the Pattullo is permanently closed to vehicles, the bridge’s sidewalk will remain open for cyclists and pedestrians to traverse until the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Additional construction will still need to be completed, announced Fraser Crossing Partners online.
“The new Columbia Street loop-ramp will open after the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge opens with all four lanes, as it cannot be completed until sections of the connecting roadways and the Pattullo Bridge have been removed,” said Fraser Crossing Partners.
“A local closure of Columbia Street between McBride Boulevard and Elliot Street, for approximately four to six weeks, will be required to deconstruct the Pattullo Bridge and build the new Columbia loop-ramp.
Fraser Crossing Partners is also targeting a mid-2026 completion date for a new Highway 17 off-ramp, multi-use paths, and sidewalks. This is because the Pattullo Bridge needs to be partially removed before work on those can begin.
November 2025 construction progress on the new Pattullo Bridge. (Government of B.C.)
Government of B.C.
The removal of the Pattullo Bridge is slated to start in late February and will last approximately two years.
The new stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge will be owned and operated by the provincial government, rather than TransLink — freeing up TransLink’s resources that were previously dedicated to maintaining and operating the old bridge.
Currently, the old bridge sees an average traffic volume of about 70,000 vehicles per day.
With files from Kenneth Chan and Daily Hive staff