PORT MANN BRIDGE

'The Port Mann Bridge' is a steel tied arch bridge that spans the Fraser River connecting Coquitlam to Surrey in British Columbia near Vancouver. The bridge consists of three spans with an orthotropic deck carrying five lanes of Trans-Canada Highway traffic, with approach spans of three steel plate girders and concrete deck. The total length of the Port Mann is 2093 m (6867 ft.), including approach spans. The main span is: 366 m (1200 ft.) plus the two 110 m (360 ft.) spans on either side.^[1]

Contents

History

Port Mann/Highway 1 Project

Opposition to Twinning Plan

See also

References

History

The Port Mann Bridge opened on June 12, 1964, originally carrying four lanes. At the time of construction, it was the most expensive piece of highway in Canada. The first “civilian” to drive across the bridge was CKNW reporter Marke Raines. He was not authorized to cross, so he drove quickly.^[2]

Port Mann/Highway 1 Project

On January 31, 2006 the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation introduced the Gateway Program as a means to address growing congestion.^[3] The scope of the Gateway Project includes building a second bridge to double the capacity of the Port Mann Bridge.
The Ministry of Transportation contends that increased congestion increases pollution thus lowering the quality of life for residents and workers, as well as increasing costs to move goods and services. Presently rush hour conditions over the bridge are approaching 14 hours a day,^[4] and the Port of Vancouver expects to see a quadrupling of traffic by 2020.^[5] Coupled with population growth, this economic growth means more pressure on regional transportation infrastructure.

Opposition to Twinning Plan

The current proposal of twinning the bridge and widening the Trans-Canada highway from Surrey to the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing in Vancouver is controversial amongst some.
Opponents to the expansion include the The City of Burnaby,^[6] urban planners,^[7], environmentalists, the Sightline Institute,^[8] and a Vancouver-based group called Citizens Concerned with Highway Expansion.^[9] Opponents argue that increasing the highway capacity will only stave off congestion for a few years before increased traffic congests the area again,^[10] and would encourage suburban sprawl. The Livable Region Coalition has urged the Minister of Transportation, Kevin Falcon, to consider more sustainable solutions to reducing congestion, including rapid transit lines, and improved bus routes.^[11] There are currently no public buses that cross the Port Mann bridge, primarily because the massive congestion prevents them from keeping to schedule.^[9] The David Suzuki Foundation claims the plan violates the goals of the Livable Region Strategic Plan and fails to promote alternative forms of transportation.^[13] Many citizens and citizen groups have called on the government to open up the proposal to public scrutiny.
Critics have pointed out that the twinning of the Port Mann has less to do with alleviating congestion than has been suggested, but is rather motivated by a governmental goal to increase Vancouver's port share by twofold over the next decade. More lanes on the bridge means easier access for trucks between the Port and Canadian routes inland, as well as the I-5 corridor south. This is especially important to port traffic since the port does not operate at night, when the roads are largely empty. Since the privatization of CN Rail in 1992, it is politically easier to subsidize trucking indirectly through road building, than rail directly through the input of funds.
The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority has endorsed the plan contingent of the following conditions: the bridge be financed by tolls, the bridge includes priority access/HOV lanes, and the government does not encourage motorists to use the Pattullo Bridge as a free alternative.^[14]

See also

★ List of crossings of the Fraser River

★ List of bridges in Canada

References

1. PORT MANN BRIDGE
2. 1964 Chronology
3. Gateway Program Definition Report
4. Gateway Program Frequently Asked Questions
5. Gateway Program
6. Burnaby Public Consultation on Provincial Gateway Program
7. Planners oppose Gateway Program
8. B.C. gets top marks
9. Car pool, transit better than twinning Port Mann, group claims
10. Gateway project will fail, planning prof warns
11. Questions about the B.C. Government’s Port Mann and Highway 1 proposal for the Vancouver Region
12. Car pool, transit better than twinning Port Mann, group claims
13. Proposed twinning of the Port Mann Bridge and Highway 1 expansion
14. Agendas and Reports