Pattullo Bridge

Pattullo Bridge from Surrey on the south side of the Fraser River.

Pattullo Bridge (above), as seen from the Skybridge.

The Pattullo Bridge is a compression arch suspended-deck bridge located in the Greater Vancouver Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. Constructed in 1936-37, it spans the Fraser River and links the city of New Westminster on the north bank of the river to the city of Surrey on the south bank. The Bridge's base is constructed of wood.

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Location in Metro Vancouver

The Pattullo Bridge, which is Template:M to ft in total length, consists of four lanes (two in each direction) with no barrier of any sort in the centre, making it highly prone to head-on collisions, especially at excessive speed or bad weather. TransLink (Vancouver)|TransLink]] has since closed the middle lanes to traffic from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in an effort to lower the high number of fatal head-on collisions that occur, and installed a series of plastic pillars to raise visibility of the centre lane divider. On January 2, 2006, four people were killed in a T-bone collision between two cars on the southern approach lane.

In response to the high number of crashes that take place on the bridge, TransLink studied the idea of reducing the number of lanes on the bridge from four to three utilizing a counterflow operation. This arrangement is similar to what is being used on the Lions Gate Bridge with the number of lanes being varied depending on traffic flow and volume. However, traffic analysis shows that significant congestion would result in Surrey and New Westminster, and the idea was abandoned. TransLink also examined a number of options to install a centre line barrier and, in concert, to ban truck traffic from the bridge because the barrier would further narrow the traffic lanes, but that too was proven impractical. A more controversial proposal is to install photo radar on the bridge to enforce the existing speed limit. Thus far, the provincial government have ruled out the idea of photo radar being brought back, as it had cancelled the program after first being elected in 2001.

On July 31, 2008 TransLink decided to replace the Pattullo Bridge rather than try to repair the aging, narrow-laned structure, and told staff to start planning for it as a toll bridge.

Its appearance of dark orange colour and arch shape highly resembles the Port Mann Bridge, located just a few kilometres upstream. The bridge was named for Thomas Dufferin Pattullo, former premier of British Columbia.

See also

• List of crossings of the Fraser River