Premier and MP Kamp open new Pitt River bridge

October 25, 2009

PITT MEADOWS - Premier Gordon Campbell and Randy Kamp, Member of Parliament for Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission, on behalf of the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, officially opened the new Pitt River Bridge today, which will reduce congestion and cut travel times for the almost 90,000 vehicles that cross each day.

"This new seven-lane Pitt River Bridge will connect Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and the Tri Cities like never before as well as reducing congestion and improving travel times for commuters and business traffic," said Premier Campbell. "This is the first bridge to open under our Gateway Program, which will reduce travel times throughout the Lower Mainland, streamline the movement of goods and people, and build British Columbia's role as Canada's Pacific Gateway for trade, tourism and investment."

"This investment will contribute to Canada's trade competitiveness by improving the ability to move goods quickly and efficiently, while easing the impact of trade traffic on the communities in Greater Vancouver's northeast sector," said Mr. Kamp.

Construction of the new bridge was completed on budget and on schedule. The bridge will improve the safety and reliability of the area's rapidly growing transportation corridor. In addition to replacing the existing swing bridges, the project will replace the current Lougheed Highway and Mary Hill Bypass intersection with a free-flowing interchange.

With its strategic location linking the CP Intermodal Terminal and Lower Mainland ports, the Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill Interchange Project is a critical component of the Gateway Program. The $198-million Pitt River Bridge project is being cost-shared between the provincial and federal governments. The Province has committed $108 million in funding, with the remainder coming from the Federal Government under Canada's Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative.



BACKGROUNDER

PITT RIVER BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION

Traffic volumes on the swing bridges over the Pitt River have more than tripled between 1985 and 2007, from 27,000 to 88,000 vehicles per day. The new Pitt River Bridge replaces the two existing bridges with a new seven-lane bridge that will ease congestion and eliminate backups that were caused by the counter-flow system.

Features of the new Pitt River Bridge:

• The project is on time and on budget.
• The new cable-stayed bridge is constructed between the existing bridges and has three lanes of westbound traffic and four lanes of eastbound traffic. The bridge
• has been built to accommodate eight lanes in the future.
• The design for the bridge and interchange incorporates pedestrian and cycling features,
• including bicycle lanes across the bridge. In addition, the bridge is
• engineered to accept
• light rail transit at a later date.
• Peter Kiewit and Sons Co. won the competitive bidding process for this design-business
• project. Construction started in February 2007.
• Seismic improvements were extensive, with the interchange built to accommodate a 1-in-
• 500-year earthquake. The new bridge is deemed a lifeline structure and is
• built to accommodate a 1-in-2,475-year quake.
• The original (southern) span of the bridge was built in 1956. The second (northern) span was built in 1978. Following construction, these existing swing bridges will be removed in 2010.
• The $198-million project is being cost-shared between the provincial and federal governments. The federal Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative is providing up to $90 million. The Province is providing $108 million.

Pitt River Bridge by the numbers:

• 190 metres - Length of the main span of the bridge (cable tower to cable tower).
• 380 metres - Length of the cable-stayed span of the bridge (end to end of cable sections).
• 500 metres - The entire length of the bridge including the bridge approach spans. The width will be 45 metres.
• 16 metres - Height above the water (marine clearance).
• 60 metres - Height of the six main bridge towers.
• 100 metres - Depth of the piles (metal posts used to provide a foundation for the structure), which are some of the largest and deepest ever driven in British Columbia.
• 1,200 - Approximate number of jobs created over the life of the project.