BURSTConservative Party of BC Leader Lorne Doerkson says if his party forms government, they would abandon plans to build a new eight-lane tunnel to replace the aging George Massey Tunnel in favour of a 10-lane bridge.
The party issued a press release Thursday morning (Oct. 15) committing to a 10-lane George Massey Bridge, completing the Surrey Hospital in Cloverdale (already underway and set to open in early 2030), and building a new Women and Children’s Hospital in Surrey.
Original plans by the BC Liberal-led government of the day to build a 10-lane bridge between Richmond and Delta were scrapped in 2017 by the incoming BC NDP. That project came with an estimated cost of $3.5 billion and a completion date in 2022.
In August of 2021, the NDP government announced the Fraser River Tunnel Project, a new toll-free eight-lane immersed-tube tunnel featuring one dedicated transit lane in each direction and a separate multi-use path to support walking, biking and other active transportation options.
The crossing, to be located immediately upstream of the 65-year-old George Massey Tunnel, came with a $4.15-billion price tag and estimated completion date in late 2030.
The Conservatives contend that after nine years of NDP government, “nothing has been built.”
“David Eby is good at making announcements and very bad at finishing projects,” Doerkson said in Thursday’s press release.
In June, the province cancelled its contract with the consortium hired to design and build the project as they could not come to an agreement on “the commercial terms for final construction of the tunnel,” according to a Ministry of Transportation and Transit press release.
On July 2, the federal and provincial governments signed a $20-billion deal that would see Ottawa kick in $3 billion towards the Massey Tunnel replacement.
Four days later, B.C.’s transportation minister announced the project will now cost about $8.5 billion — nearly twice the 2021 estimate.
Despite soaring costs and the project going back to tender, the minister said the project would proceed as planned, with pre-construction work already underway, the environmental assessment process expected to conclude by the end of this year, and major work set to begin in 2027.
However project completion is now expected by September of 2031, rather than December of 2030.
Doerkson said a Conservative government would instead build the new 10-lane bridge, which would cut current commute times by up to 30 minutes and help businesses move goods more efficiently.
“Families in the Lower Mainland are stuck in traffic every day because the NDP cancelled a bridge that should already be open. My government will build it, on time and on budget.”
He did not provide specifics for how much the new bridge would cost, or when it might be completed. The Reporter has reached out the campaign to ask for these estimates, and whether the party’s intention is to reuse the bridge design scrapped in 2017.
A day before the Conservatives’ announcement, the BC NPD issued a release warning that Doerkson’s plan to stop construction of the new tunnel could set the project back years and put at risk $3 billion the federal government committed to the new crossing in July.
“People living South of the Fraser can’t afford to wait longer while the BC Conservatives change course on the project — they want it to move forward and get done,” the party’s release states.
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115 — which represents more than 14,000 workers in high-altitude or high-risk environments, including mechanics, road builders, crane and heavy equipment operators and dam builders — issued a statement calling the Conservatives’ plan to “completely irresponsible,” adding it shows a “fundamental lack of understanding of infrastructure development.”
The union notes significant work on the project has been underway for nine months, with more than 200 workers on site this year alone, and that $581 million had already been spent as June.
Work to date includes the clearing of trees, relocation of utilities, and construction of multiple pieces of project-supporting temporary infrastructure. Much of this work has been on Deas Island, where a casting basin where tunnel sections is being built.
The union also says an environmental assessment is imminent and that the project is expected to begin major construction in a matter of months.
“Promising to scrap this project and start all over again is reckless and wasteful,” Bryan Railton, business manager for IUOE Local 115 said in a press release.
“If Doerkson is serious about this, he’s showing a fundamental lack of understanding on the procurement and construction of major infrastructure. That lack of knowledge could really hurt British Columbians.”
Railton said scrapping the project would put the federal government’s “crucial” $3 billion commitment at risk, adding to the “recklessness” of Doerkson’s promise.
“Wasting $581 million in construction costs and turning away a $3-billion investment from the federal government would be financially negligent,” Railton said.
“This promise shows the BC Conservatives are more serious about waging ideological battles against their political opponents than delivering infrastructure for British Columbians.”