The Canadian province of British Columbia has shortlisted three consortia to design and build a US$1.06 billion Pattullo Bridge replacement near Vancouver.
Fraser Community Connectors is led by Kiewit Canada Development. Kiewet Infrastructure BC is the design-build contractor. The long-span bridge design contractors are T.Y. Lin International and International Bridge Technologies.
A joint venture of Flatiron Constructors, Dragados Canada and Carlson Construction Pattullo includes ACS Infrastructure Canada, Hochtieff PPP Solutions North America and for long-span bridge design work COWI North America.
The Fraser Crossing Partners group includes SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Pacific) as design-build contractors. Long-span bridge design and construction will be done by SNC-Lavalin along with Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner Beratende Ingenieure VBI, Hatch Corporation, EXP Services and Acciona Infrastructure Canada.
The budget of $1.06 billion represents the full cost of the four-lane crossing project over the Fraser River. This includes procurement, project management, construction, removal of the existing bridge and interest during construction. The new bridge also features dedicated pedestrian and cyclist lanes separated from traffic by a barrier on both sides of the bridge. The province will use a design-build-finance model to build the replacement which is scheduled to open in 2023.
The existing 1.2km through arch Pattullo Bridge – named after a provincial premier – was built in 1937 to link the cities of New Westminster and Surrey. It handles an average of almost 80,000 vehicles a day, about 20% of traffic across the Fraser River. Once the new bridge is open, the old bridge will be removed.
“The existing Pattullo Bridge is nearing the end of its useful life,” said Claire Trevena, BC’s minister of transportation and infrastructure. “The selection of the three teams gets us closer to breaking ground on this project that will improve safety and reliability for residents, commercial vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.”
Safety has been an issue for transportation authorities in recent years. There is no barrier in the centre to separate the two lanes in each direction. Fatal head-ono collisions have prompted the province to consider a wider replacement. The middle lanes have often been closed to traffic outside rush hour in an effort to reduce the risk of crashes.
