All four lanes on the stal̕əw̓asəm (Riverview) Bridge opened to vehicle traffic on Saturday, Feb. 14, marking a milestone for people travelling between Surrey and New Westminster.

“The stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge is a new regional landmark,” said Minister of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth. “I’d like to thank the crews tasked with the monumental job of building this major piece of infrastructure for their hard work and for delivering a bridge that is going to support safe, reliable travel for commuters, truck drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.”

The new bridge features four wider lanes with a centre median and barrier-separated walking and cycling lanes. It optimizes the use of the existing road network and travel patterns to improve safety, reliability and efficiency for everyone and is built to modern seismic, structural and roadway-design standards.

Work on the multi-use path connections to the bridge will continue.

The stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge is a single tower cable-stay bridge, which differentiates it from the Alex Fraser and Port Mann bridges. Each cable has up to 80 strands, and the longest cable on the main span is approximately 300 metres.

The total length is 1,235 metres, equivalent to more than 12 Canadian football fields.
There are approximately 62,400 cubic metres of concrete in the bridge.

Fraser Crossing Partners was selected by the province to design, build and partially finance the project. This is a 50/50 joint venture between Aecon and Acciona

“Aecon is incredibly proud to deliver the stal̕əw̓asəm (Riverview) Bridge, a vital crossing that will enhance safety and provide an improved east-to-west corridor for the growing communities of Surrey and New Westminster. The opening of the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge marks the culmination of years of dedication, problem-solving, and collaboration across every part of the Fraser Crossing Partners team working alongside the Province of British Columbia,” said Jean-Louis Servranckx, president and CEO, Aecon.

With the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge open, deconstruction of the Pattullo Bridge is now underway. This is necessary to complete construction of the Columbia Street on-ramp, Highway 17 off-ramp and some connections for the new multi-use paths.

Crews have mobilized equipment and are conducting preparatory activities ahead of concrete and steel removal.

Removal of the Pattullo Bridge will take approximately two years to complete.