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The last cars will drive across the 89-year-old Pattullo Bridge between Surrey and New Westminster this weekend.
On Saturday at 7 a.m. PT, the Pattullo Bridge will permanently close for deconstruction, and all four lanes will open on its replacement — the stal̕əw̓asəm (Riverview) Bridge, according to a statement by Fraser Crossing Constructors, the joint venture between infrastructure companies Acciona and Aecon in charge of the bridge replacement project.
The Pattullo’s sidewalk will be open for cyclists and pedestrians until the morning of Feb. 17, TransLink said in an emailed statement Friday.
Drivers can access the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge in New Westminster via McBride Boulevard and the new Royal Avenue on-ramp and in Surrey via King George Boulevard, according to Fraser Crossing Constructors.
Fraser Crossing Constructors said all traffic pattern changes will be “well signed” and encouraged drivers to check DriveBC for updates.
The removal of the Pattullo Bridge is expected to begin in late February, said the statement.
Amna Shah, MLA for Surrey City Centre, said she’s excited that all four lanes have opened ahead of schedule.
“Luckily, we have seen some great weather, and our crews have been working really hard to open those four lanes,” she said.
A Surrey local, Shah said she has many memories of the Pattullo — most of them scary.
“I think most commuters can attest to the fact that it didn’t particularly feel safe crossing on that bridge. Often times it was bumpy, there were tight lanes and you really sometimes had to hold your breath.”
The old Pattullo Bridge is pictured next to the construction of the new stal̕əw̓asəm (Riverview) Bridge in Surrey, B.C. The old Pattullo Bridge will close to traffic Saturday, while the now completed stal̕əw̓asəm (Riverview) Bridge connecting New Westminster and Surrey will open all four lanes. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
While she never personally lost a side-view mirror on the bridge, she said she knows many who have.
The new $1.67-billion bridge will have wider lanes, smoother drive and a multi-use path that will open this spring, Shah said.
A mini-history of the Pattullo
The Pattullo Bridge, which is currently owned and operated by TransLink, is a significant artery for daily commuters and movement of goods, according to TransLink spokesperson Thor Diakow.
The bridge, which opened in 1937, served about 60,000 drivers daily, according to recent TransLink data. Diakow said about 3,000 heavy trucks drove across the Patullo on an average weekday. The province will own stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge when it opens, according to Diakow.
The Pattullo is one of the region’s oldest bridge crossings and was named after then-premier, Thomas Dufferin Pattullo.
This photo from the New Westminster Archives shows the Pattullo Bridge under construction circa 1936. Half of the centre span is up. (New Westminster Archives/Item No. IHP4557)
The 1,200-metre-long steel truss bridge was originally opened as a toll bridge, costing 25 cents to cross, according to Diakow.
“The toll was removed in the early 1950s, and people were so jubilant about that, they actually had a spontaneous party to celebrate the end of the tolls and had a parade over the Pattullo as well.”
The bridge is considered quite narrow in the 21st century, Diakow said.
“It was built for 1930s vehicles, which were a lot smaller. So that’s why modern drivers might find it a bit tight, and why we have the replacement bridge.”
Before the Pattullo, and the “old bridge” that it replaced, there was a ferry service that started up in 1884 and crossed the Fraser River every two hours during daylight, according to a “souvenir” program from the bridge’s opening shared by TransLink.
“In those days a farmer living more than 20 miles from New Westminster often required three days to complete a return trip to market,” said the program.
The Pattullo’s predecessor, called the “old bridge,” was built in 1904, according to the program, but “the demands of modern highway traffic ultimately exceeded the capacity of the structure.”
The program indicated the construction of Pattullo included using “5,300 tons of structural steel, 1,600 tons of reinforcing steel, 62,000 cubic yards of concrete, 180,000 cubic yards of earth excavation, 100,000 barrels of cement, and 2,000,000 board-feet of timber.”