Contract for new Pattullo Bridge finalized
The provincial government has finalized its contract with Fraser Crossing Partners for construction of a new Pattullo Bridge to replace the existing, 82-year-old structure that links Surrey and New Westminster.
A formal announcement involving Premier John Horgan and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena is scheduled to take place at the Pattullo Bridge in New Westminster on Monday afternoon.
Fraser Crossing Partners, a consortium of seven companies, was chosen in December to enter into discussions to finalize an agreement to design, build and partly finance the bridge during construction.
The province announced two years ago that it would be building a new four-lane bridge just north and upstream of the current bridge. It’s expected that construction will be complete by 2023, which is considered the end of the Pattullo’s serviceable life. After the new bridge is built, the old one will be demolished.
According to an order in council dated Feb. 6 and signed by Trevena and Finance Minister Carole James, the B.C. Transportation Financing Authority was authorized to enter into four agreements with Fraser Crossing Project Corp.
Those include a project agreement, a lenders’ remedies agreement, a design-build collateral agreement and an insurance trust agreement.
The value of the contract is not known at this point, but the provincial government has previously estimated the cost of replacing the Pattullo Bridge at $1.377 billion.