Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure | Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project

In October 2021, amendment PER No. 17-107-02 was issued to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) to conduct intermittent pile driving activities on Sundays, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., starting in November 2021. The portion of the project that spans the Fraser River, between Surrey and New Westminster, is located within federal lands and waters managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.  

Pile driving activities are also allowed during standard port authority hours. No pile driving activities shall take place on holidays. Visit the project website for more information about the project and the latest construction updates.  

Permit amendment issued 

In February 2021, amendment PER No. 17-107-01 was issued to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) for general construction activities outside of standard construction hours, to allow for adherence to the project schedule and to allow for nighttime lane closures.

About the amendment

The amendment approved general construction activities, e.g., welding, concrete work, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The rationale for the extended work hours request was to maintain the construction schedule and align with nighttime works approved under their provincial Environmental Assessment (EA) Certificate (#T19-01). These works required an amendment to condition 45 of the approved permit No. 17-107 which stated: 

All general construction and physical activities related to the Project shall be conducted from Monday to Saturday between the hours of 7:00 am and 8:00 pm. No construction and physical activities shall take place on Sundays or holidays. These hours shall not be modified without prior approval of VFPA.

Project components associated with this request include general construction activities; works to support installation of in-river piles, for example splicing or welding pile sections together; use of cranes to lift pre-cast concrete panels into place during cantilevered bridge deck construction; shipping of materials to and from the construction site, temporary lighting to illuminate night-time work areas; equipment mobilization and demobilization; concrete pouring. 

About the project 

The project permit for the Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project was issued on May 27, 2019. The project was reviewed under a harmonized environmental assessment process involving the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. 

The project was approved by the port authority subject to 98 permit conditions which MoTI must meet to ensure the project does not result in significant environmental effects. 

The Pattullo Bridge Replacement project will include the construction of a new four-lane bridge spanning the Fraser River between New Westminster and Surrey, British Columbia, in the general location of the existing bridge. The new Pattullo Bridge will have approaches connecting to McBride Boulevard in New Westminster and King George Boulevard in the City of Surrey. The project will also include the removal of the existing Pattullo Bridge. 

Construction is anticipated to begin in Winter 2021 and take up to five years. Demolition of the existing bridge is expected to take up to two years. For more information about the project and construction activities, please visit MoTI’s website. 

About the harmonized federal-provincial environmental assessment 

The British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office and the port authority agreed to a coordinated provincial-federal environmental assessment process for the project, with the Environmental Assessment Office as the lead agency. The harmonized environmental assessment process incorporated the port authority’s federal requirements and met both of the respective assessment processes. As part of the review, the port authority considered all materials and feedback submitted as part of the harmonized environmental assessment process to assess the potential effects of the proposed project on the environment, communities, and Aboriginal groups. At the conclusion of the harmonized environmental assessment process, the port authority made a determination under section 67 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 that the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. The project was reviewed under the port authority’s Project and Environmental Review process as a Category D project. On May 2, 2019, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing decided to issue an environmental assessment certificate to MoTI for the project. 

For more information 

For information about the proposed Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project and all documents related to the harmonized environmental assessment, please visit the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office website.