Week-long traffic shutdown begins as stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge takes over for Pattullo | CBC News
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Metro Vancouver drivers are being urged to plan extra travel time as both the Pattullo Bridge and its replacement, the new stal̕əw̓asəm (Riverview) Bridge, shutdown for roughly a week starting at 8 p.m. Friday.
TransLink says the full closure is needed so crews can complete final connections to roadways on both sides of the river, including raising road grades, installing utilities, paving, and building the foundation for a multi-use path overpass.
While drivers won’t be able to access both bridges, the Pattullo’s sidewalk will stay open for pedestrians and cyclists. Emergency vehicles will still be able to use the bridge if needed.
According to TransLink, the Pattullo Bridge typically handles between 60,000 and 75,000 vehicles per week. Those commuters will now be directed to use the Port Mann or Alex Fraser bridges instead.
Once the week of work is finished, two northbound lanes and one southbound lane will be open on the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge. One southbound lane will remain open on the Pattullo Bridge.
A single northbound lane on the long-awaited stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge opened to traffic in December 2025, marking the first step in a phased opening process.
⚠️ Starting February 6th for approximately one week, the Pattullo Bridge and stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge will be closed.<br><br>This full closure is required for crews to complete the connections to the roadways on either side of the new bridge.<br><br>Learn more: <a href=” <a href=”https://t.co/NyakpfScZw”>pic.twitter.com/NyakpfScZw</a>
—pattulloproject
Once all four lanes of the new bridge are open, the province plans to begin dismantling the old Pattullo Bridge, a process, it says, that will take about two years.
The replacement project, now estimated to cost $1.67 billion, is intended to address long-standing safety concerns with the existing bridge, which was built in the 1930s.
If you are commuting between Surrey and New Westminster, B.C., the new stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge, otherwise known as Riverview Bridge, is now partially open. The Patullo Bridge replacement project was expected to finish in 2023. But, as Sohrab Sandhu reports, significant challenges delayed opening day.
In 2016, a report presented to TransLink’s board of directors showed the bridge did not meet modern wind and seismic safety standards. The report to Metro Vancouver’s transit authority recommended the bridge be replaced by no later than 2024.
The new bridge was originally expected to open in 2023, but the timeline was pushed back several times. The province has previously cited pandemic-related delays, inflation, global supply-chain issues and the complexity of building the bridge’s 167-metre tower.
The closure is scheduled to last about seven days, but officials caution that exact reopening dates depend on weather and construction progress.