VANCOUVER – The Government of British Columbia has announced two major projects will face delays before completion.
The Pattullo Bridge Replacement project is expected to open in fall 2025 and the new Broadway Subway Project is expected to go into service in fall 2027, a release said. This represents about a year delay for each project.
“Despite facing significant global challenges, we’ve seen tremendous progress on both of these projects. These projects will move people and goods more quickly and safely around the Lower Mainland,” said B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming in a statement.
The Pattullo Bridge project began slightly before the global COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020 and has since “faced significant challenges, including inflationary pressures and global supply issues related to the delivery of specialized components from around the world,” the release said.
Bridge tower construction also took longer than initially expected, but the main tower for the bridge is now complete, connecting Surrey and New Westminster.
The Broadway Subway project began in September 2020 and previously ran into delays including work to relocate major utilities and install traffic decks, while keeping traffic moving along the Broadway corridor.
Tunnelling also took longer than planned as did station excavation due to a five-week concrete strike in 2022 that delayed construction of the launch pad for the tunnel-boring machines, the release said.
However, tunnel boring operations are now finished “marking the completion of the most technically complex and challenging part of the new subway construction,” the release said.