Bob Mackin
It’s official. Not only is the NDP government replacing the 1937-built, four-lane Pattullo Bridge with a new four-lane bridge, but it is also replacing the name.
Old, 1937-built Pattullo Bridge (left) and new to-be-named bridge. (TI Corp/YouTube)
Farnworth said the announcement is anticipated this summer.
The current bridge was named for Thomas “Duff” Pattullo, the 22nd premier of B.C. from 1933 to 1941. Liberal Pattullo represented the Prince Rupert riding from 1916 to 1945.
The new bridge was budgeted at $1.4 billion for a 2023 opening, but was delayed to 2025 with a higher $1.637 billion price tag. Builders are Aecon and Acciona, the Spanish company Metro Vancouver fired from the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant project.
Farnworth’s memo said there is also a First Nations art program that began on the Old Yale Road overpass in Surrey and will expand to the lower piers, upper tower and crossbeam of the new bridge. The NDP government is planning an “exclusive feature” with the CBC about bridge construction, bridge naming and the art program, Farnworth’s memo said.
Farnworth’s memo comes the day before Vancouver city council is expected to rubber-stamp renaming Trutch Street to šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street, which translates in English to “Musqueam View.”
The new street signs are already in production and an unveiling is scheduled for June 20, the eve of National Indigenous Peoples Day, at St. James Community Square.
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