Get Moving BC

Face-to-Face with "Total Gridlock"

Translink officials are to be applauded for the swift action they’ve taken to resolve the Pattullo Bridge crisis. The bridge is expected to be back in action two weeks from now, which is a relief to the hundreds of thousands of Lower Mainland residents who’ve been adversely impacted by the closure.

The world renowned North Vancouver bridge engineering firm of Buckland and Taylor is credited with having located a suitable replacement section at the Surespan Construction works yard in Langley. The replacement section was previously used during the Canada Line construction to bridge over an excavated station location.

Fortunately for everyone, Translink was already planning to replace the 60 foot wooden section of the Pattullo Bridge that was destroyed last Sunday and Buckland and Taylor were well underway with the design work and planning.

The economic cost of the Pattullo Bridge closure is going to be massive. According to the BC Trucking Association, the added cost to the trucking industry alone could be as much $10 million per day (costs that get passed on to you and I as consumers).

On the positive side, the loss of the Pattullo Bridge this past week has been a timely wakeup call. The closure has provided everyone with a taste of what's in store for the Lower Mainland if we don't get on with building the kind of transportation infrastructure we need to serve the region's growing population; and that includes increasing bridge lane capacity over the Fraser River with important projects like the Port Mann Bridge twinning and the replacement of the Pattullo Bridge.

The havoc caused by the closure of the Pattullo Bridge this past week has dramatically, albeit painfully, underscored the fact that we don't have an adequate amount of bridge infrastructure crossing the Fraser River, something fairly obvious that we at Get Moving BC have been diligently pointing out for quite some time. Let’s just be grateful that this disruptive face-to-face encounter with “Total Gridlock” is only temporary and not a permanent reality - yet.

Labels: Gateway, Get Moving BC, Pattullo Bridge, Port Mann Bridge, TransLink, transportation

posted by Get Moving BC @ 10:13 AM