Port Mann Bridge

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title: "Port Mann Bridge" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["buildings-and-structures-in-coquitlam", "buildings-and-structures-in-surrey,-british-columbia", "bridges-completed-in-1964", "bridges-completed-in-2012", "bridges-in-greater-vancouver", "bridges-on-the-trans-canada-highway", "bridges-over-the-fraser-river", "cable-stayed-bridges-in-canada", "demolished-buildings-and-structures-in-british-columbia", "former-bridges-in-canada", "road-bridges-in-british-columbia", "through-arch-bridges-in-canada", "tied-arch-bridges-in-canada", "transport-in-coquitlam", "toll-bridges-in-canada"] description: "Bridge over the Fraser River in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia; opened in 2012" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Mann_Bridge" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Bridge over the Fraser River in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia; opened in 2012 ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox bridge"]

Field	Value
fetchwikidata	coordinates
bridge_name	Port Mann Bridge (2012)
image	The New Port Mann Bridge2.jpg
carries	Ten lanes of British Columbia Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), pedestrians and bicycles
crosses	Fraser River
locale	Coquitlam
Surrey
maint	Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp)
designer	T.Y. Lin International
design	Cable-stayed bridge
mainspan	470 m
length	2020 m
height	163 m
width	65 m
below	42 m
begin	February 4, 2009
complete	September 17, 2015
cost	$820 million
open	September 18, 2012 (3 eastbound lanes)
November 17, 2012 (2 westbound lanes)
December 1, 2012 (4 lanes in each direction)
preceded	Port Mann Bridge (1964)
coordinates
references
::

|fetchwikidata=coordinates |bridge_name = Port Mann Bridge (2012) |image = The New Port Mann Bridge2.jpg |carries = Ten lanes of British Columbia Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), pedestrians and bicycles |crosses = Fraser River |locale = Coquitlam Surrey |maint = Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp) |designer = T.Y. Lin International International Bridge Technologies |design = Cable-stayed bridge |mainspan = 470 m |length = 2020 m |height = 163 m |width = 65 m |below = 42 m |begin = February 4, 2009 |complete = September 17, 2015 |cost = $820 million |open = September 18, 2012 (3 eastbound lanes) November 17, 2012 (2 westbound lanes)
December 1, 2012 (4 lanes in each direction) |preceded = Port Mann Bridge (1964) |coordinates = |references = |fetchwikidata=coordinates |bridge_name = Port Mann Bridge (1964) |image = Port Mann Bridge.jpg |carries = Five lanes of British Columbia Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) |crosses = Fraser River |locale = Coquitlam Surrey |maint = British Columbia Ministry of Transportation |designer = CBA Engineering |builder= Dominion Bridge Company, John Laing and Sons, Perini Pacific,{{cite report |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcsessional/items/1.0355809?o=0 |title=Minister of Highways Report for the Fiscal Year 1959/60 |last=British Columbia Department of Highways |date=1961 |publisher=Government of British Columbia|pages=48 (F48), 49 (F49) |id= J110.L5 S7; 1961_V01_10_F1_F124F |doi= 10.14288/1.0355809 |access-date=December 2, 2022 |location=Victoria |language=EN}} Western Bridge & Steel{{cite report |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcsessional/items/1.0363080?o=0 |title=Minister of Highways Report for the Fiscal Year 1960/61 |last=British Columbia Department of Highways |date=1962 |publisher=Government of British Columbia |page= 62 (I 62) |id=J110.L5 S7; 1962_V01_13_I1_I159 |doi= 10.14288/1.0363080 |access-date=December 2, 2022 |location=Victoria |language=EN}} |design = Tied-arch bridge |mainspan = 366 m |length = 2093 m |begin = 1959 |complete = 1963 |cost = $25 million |open = June 12, 1964 |followed = Port Mann Bridge (second, 2012) |closed = November 17, 2012 (demolished October 2015) |coordinates =

The Port Mann Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Fraser River in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. It carries 10 lanes of Highway 1 (itself part of the Trans-Canada Highway) and connects Coquitlam to Surrey. The bridge opened to traffic in 2012 and includes space reserved for a potential light rail line.

The cable-stayed bridge replaced a steel arch bridge that spanned the Fraser River from 1963 to 2012. After its successor was opened to traffic, the old bridge was demolished by reverse construction, a process which took three years to complete.

Original bridge

The original Port Mann Bridge opened on June 12, 1964. It was named after the community of Port Mann, through which the south end of the bridge passed. The old bridge consisted of three spans with an orthotropic deck carrying five lanes (originally four lanes) of Trans-Canada Highway traffic, with approach spans of three steel plate girders and concrete deck. The total length of the arch bridge was 2093 m, including approach spans. The main span was 366 m, plus the two 110 m spans on either side. Volume on the old bridge was 127,000 trips per day. Approximately 8 percent of the traffic on the Port Mann bridge was truck traffic. The old bridge was the in Canada and third-longest in the world at the time of its inauguration.

At the time of construction, it was the most expensive piece of highway in Canada.

In 2001, an eastbound HOV lane was added by moving the centre divider and by cantilevering the bridge deck outwards in conjunction with a seismic upgrade.

Replacement

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Old_and_new_Port_Mann_bridges.jpg" caption="The old Port Mann Bridge with its replacement rising beside it"] ::

On January 31, 2006, the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation introduced the Gateway Program as a means to address growing congestion. The project originally envisioned twinning the Port Mann Bridge by building a second bridge adjacent to it, but the project was changed to building a 10-lane replacement bridge, planned to be the widest in the world, and demolishing the original bridge. While the old bridge was found to be in "excellent shape, it is a fracture-critical structure with a tension member that runs the full length of the bridge. If that fractures anywhere, the bridge’s structural safety can be compromised heavily...There is no built-in redundancy [in this type of bridge]. It only takes a little undetected fatigue crack to grow for 10 years and then a member eventually just snaps through one cold morning when the wrong size truck rolls over it”.

Opposition to twinning plan

A number of groups lobbied to improve public transit rather than build a new bridge. Burnaby city council, Vancouver city council, and directors of the GVRD (now Metro Vancouver) passed resolutions opposing the Port Mann / Highway 1 expansion. Opponents of the expansion included local environmental groups, urban planners, and Washington state's Sightline Institute.

Opponents argued that increasing highway capacity would increase greenhouse gas emissions and only relieve congestion for a few years before increased traffic congested the area again, and that expanding road capacity would encourage suburban sprawl. The Livable Region Coalition urged the Minister of Transportation, Kevin Falcon, to consider rapid transit lines and improved bus routes instead of building the new bridge. The David Suzuki Foundation claimed the plan violated the goals of Metro Vancouver's Livable Region Strategic Plan.

Construction and cost

The Port Mann / Highway 1 project added another HOV lane along with cycling and pedestrian access. The multi-use pedestrian/bicycle path opened July 1, 2015. A bus service was reintroduced over the Port Mann Bridge for the first time in over 20 years. However, critics claimed that the new bridge only delayed the reintroduction of bus service on the bridge. The new express bus service is now operated in the HOV lanes along Highway 1 from Langley to Burnaby.

The estimated construction cost was $2.46 billion, including the cost of the Highway 1 upgrade, a total of 37 km. Of this, the bridge itself comprised roughly a third ($820 million). The total cost, including operation and maintenance, was expected to be $3.3 billion. Now that the new bridge is completed, the existing bridge, which was more than 45 years old, has been taken down.

The project was intended to be funded by using a public-private partnership, and Connect B.C. Development Group was chosen as the preferred developer. The Connect B.C. Group included the Macquarie Group, Transtoll Inc., Peter Kiewit Sons Co., and Flatiron Constructors. Although a memorandum of understanding had been signed by the province, final terms could not be agreed upon. As a consequence, the province decided to fund the entire cost of replacement.

On September 18, 2012, the new Port Mann Bridge opened to eastbound traffic. At 65 m wide, it was the world's widest long-span bridge, according to the Guinness World Records, overtaking the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, which, at 49 m, held the record since 1932. The Port Mann Bridge was overtaken by the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in 2013.

Dismantling of original bridge

Work to dismantle the old Port Mann Bridge began in December 2012. Crews removed sections of the bridge piece by piece in opposite order in which they were originally constructed, starting with the road deck, followed by the bridge approach's girders, and concluding with the steel arch. It was fully removed by October 21, 2015.

New bridge

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Vancouver_Portmann-Bridge_2015.JPG" caption="The new Port Mann Bridge with the old bridge fully demolished"] ::

The new bridge is 2.02 km long, up to 65 m wide, carries 10 lanes of traffic, and has a 42 m clearance above the river's high water level (the same length and clearance as the old bridge). The towers are approximately 75 m tall above deck level, with the total height approximately 163 m from top of footing. The main span (between the towers) is 470 m long, the second longest cable-stayed span in the western hemisphere. The main bridge (between the end of the cables) has a length of 850 m with two towers and 288 cables. The new bridge was built to accommodate the future installation of light rapid transit.

Issues

On February 10, 2012, during construction of the replacement bridge, an overhead gantry crane collapsed, causing a 90-tonne concrete box-girder segment to drop into the water below. While no one was injured, the accident delayed subsequent construction. WorkSafeBC inspectors evaluated the safety practices on the construction site.

On December 19, 2012, cold weather caused ice to accumulate on the supporting cables, periodically dropping to the car deck below, dubbed "ice bombs". ICBC, the vehicle insurance entity in British Columbia, reported 60 separate claims of ice damage during the incident. In addition, one driver required an ambulance due to injuries. The RCMP closed the bridge between 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. while engineers investigated. The Government installed collars on the cables that are manually released when conditions for ice accumulation are expected. They are installed on the tops of the cables on the towers and are released, falling down the cables by gravity to remove any snow build up.

During December 2016, "slush bombs" affected the bridge again though the BC Government stated that these weren't as severe as the 2012 "ice bombs." During December, the bridge was closed due to the threat of falling snow off of the cables and possible icy conditions.

Tolling (2012–2017)

In order to recover construction and operating costs, the bridge was electronically tolled when originally built. The toll rates increased to $1.60 for motorcycle, $3.15 for cars, $6.30 for small trucks and $9.45 for large trucks on August 15, 2015. Through increased prices and greater traffic, Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp), the public Crown corporation responsible for toll operations on the Port Mann Bridge, forecast its revenue would grow by 85% between fiscal years 2014 and 2017. These fees were assessed using radio-frequency identification (RFID) decals or licence plate photos. A B.C. licensed driver who owes more than $25 in tolls outstanding 90 days is penalized $20 and is unable to purchase vehicle insurance or renew drivers permits without payment of the debt. Out-of-province drivers were also contacted for payment by a US-based contractor. A licence plate processing fee of $2.30 per trip was added to the toll rate for unregistered users who did not pay their toll within seven days of their passage. Monthly passes, which allowed unlimited crossing on the bridge, were available for purchase. Users may have set up an account for online payment of tolls. Users who opted for this method received a decal with an embedded RFID to place on their vehicle's windshield or headlight and avoid paying a processing fee. Tolls were expected to be removed by the year of 2050 or after collecting $3.3 billion. As announced by B.C. Premier John Horgan in August 2017, all tolls on the Port Mann Bridge were removed on September 1, 2017, though despite this the toll equipment remained. Debt service was transferred to the province of British Columbia at a cost of $135 million per year.

::data[format=table]

Year	Annual toll revenue	Annual expenditures
2012	$15.0 million	$14.0 million
2013	$94.0 million	$20.0 million
2014	$122.0 million	$19.0 million
2015	$136.0 million	$18.0 million
::

Traffic volumes

Monthly mean weekday traffic

::data[format=table]

2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
January	95,200	92,200	96,900	103,000	112,000
February	100,900	94,300	101,700	107,500	111,200
March	104,000	98,200	104,000	109,900	118,600
April	106,400	101,400	105,000	116,600	122,500
May	107,500	103,700	108,500	132,700	123,400
June	108,900	106,300	112,300	139,100	127,800
July	111,000	107,700	111,800	139,200	130,000
August	112,700	110,600	112,100	140,400	133,200
September	107,600	106,600	110,900	126,300	153,700
October	107,000	104,700	110,900	120,500	156,000
November	102,800	101,500	107,100	119,000	151,300
December	95,000	97,500	104,100	108,700	142,900
::

Total monthly traffic (in millions)

::data[format=table]

2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
January	2.78	2.66	2.74	2.89	3.08
February	2.65	2.42	2.74	2.89	2.79
March	3.00	2.71	2.90	3.16	3.41
April	3.01	2.83	2.94	3.27	3.29
May	3.16	2.98	3.11	3.72	3.58
June	3.04	2.95	3.17	3.89	3.57
July	3.33	3.18	3.24	4.00	3.75
August	3.04	3.25	3.21	4.08	3.79
September	3.02	3.02	3.12	3.43	4.36
October	3.02	3.05	3.23	3.36	4.49
November	2.86	2.77	2.95	3.23	4.24
December	2.78	2.85	3.02	3.01	4.43
::

References

|structure = Crossings |place = Fraser River |bridge = Port Mann Bridge |bridge signs = |upstream = Barnston Island Ferry |upstream signs = |downstream = New Westminster Bridge |downstream signs =

References

1. (September 18, 2012). "Three eastbound lanes open on new Port Mann Bridge". CityNews.
2. (September 5, 2012). "Sept. 18 set for first crossings of new Port Mann". Peace Arch News.
3. (November 13, 2012). "Drivers switch to new Port Mann Bridge as of this Saturday". Wilderness Committee.
4. (December 1, 2012). "New Port Mann Bridge opens to eight lanes of traffic". Government of British Columbia.
5. "Facts & Trivia". Pmh1project.com.
6. (July 18, 1959). "60 MPH to Hope in 1962". The Province.
7. (August 25, 1959). "$7,295,000 Span Contract Awarded". The Province.
8. (August 26, 1959). "Bridge Pier Contract Let". The Sun.
9. "Port Mann Improvement". BC Government.
10. (September 13, 2012). "Port Mann Bridge sets Guinness record". CTV News.
11. Arminas, David. (August 14, 2015). "Almost gone: Canada's old Port Mann Bridge deconstructed". World Highways.
12. "Deconstruction of old Port Mann bridge". Journal of Commerce.
13. "Surrey Archives".
14. "Port mann bridge". Buckland & Taylor Ltd..
15. (January 31, 2005). "Gateway Program Definition Report". Ministry of Transportation of British Columbia.
16. (July 2, 2004). "Travel Characteristics of Traffic on the Highway 1 Corridor". Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority.
17. Davis, Chuck. "1964 Chronology". The History of Metropolitan Vancouver.
18. "Port Mann Bridge Widening and Seismic Upgrade 2000".
19. (January 31, 2005). "Gateway Program Definition Report". Ministry of Transportation of British Columbia.
20. "Burnaby Public Consultation on Provincial Gateway Program". City of Burnaby.
21. "Standing Committee Minutes". City of Vancouver.
22. Ward, Doug. (June 20, 2006). "Planners oppose Gateway Program". The Vancouver Sun.
23. (June 14, 2007). "B.C. gets top marks". North Shore Outlook.
24. (October 2004). "Gateway project will fail, planning prof warns". Steven Rees.
25. (October 2004). "Questions about the B.C. Government's Port Mann and Highway 1 proposal for the Vancouver Region". The Livable Region Coalition.
26. "Proposed twinning of the Port Mann Bridge and Highway 1 expansion". David Suzuki Foundation.
27. (July 2, 2015). "Port Mann Bridge Cycling & Walking Path Complete, Highlights Need for AAA Connectivity". Hub Cycling.
28. Doherty, Eric. "Taken for a Ride: Technical and Media Manipulation in the Gateway Program's response to Transportation for a Sustainable Region: Transit or Freeway Expansion". Livable Region Coalition.
29. (October 5, 2007). "Port Mann Bridge to have high speed bus service". [[CBC News]].
30. Richard Gilbert. (January 16, 2012). "Engineer questions the decision to replace Port Mann bridge". Journal of Commerce.
31. (February 4, 2009). "Single 10-lane bridge to replace Port Mann". CBC.
32. Agreement in Principle Reached for Port Mann Project - Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
33. (February 27, 2009). "Province to foot entire cost of new Port Mann Bridge". CBC.
34. (September 13, 2012). "Port Mann Bridge sets Guinness record". [[CTV News]].
35. (October 20, 2015). "Old Port Mann Bridge has been finally dismantled". The Province.
36. (March 2011). "Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement Project". [[Partnerships BC]].
37. Duggan, Evan. (February 10, 2012). "Crane collapses on new Port Mann, drops 90 tonnes of concrete into water". Vancouver Sun.
38. (February 19, 2012). "Port Mann Bridge fix sought after 'ice bombs' shatter windshields". The Province.
39. (February 19, 2012). "RAW: Port Mann closed after injuries". CBC BC News.
40. Meiszner, Peter. "Port Mann Bridge "ice bomb prevention system" debuts during today's snowy weather". Global News.
41. Slattery, Jill. "Windshields shattered after ice bombs fall from Metro Vancouver bridges". Global News.
42. Judd, Amy. "Port Mann Bridge closed for hours due to unsafe icy driving conditions". Global News.
43. "Port Mann toll rates have changed". TReO.
44. (January 2, 2015). "Failing to pay your toll". TReO (Transportation Investment Corporation).
45. (January 2, 2015). "Failing to pay your toll". TReO, Transportation Investment Corporation.
46. Sinoski, Kelly. (February 10, 2012). "Errant U.S. drivers to be tracked in B.C.". Vancouver Sun.
47. "Ways to save". Treo.
48. "Ways to save". Treo.
49. "Register Your Vehicle". Account.treo.ca.
50. "TReO › Vehicle Decals". Treo.
51. Nagel, Jeff. (July 30, 2015). "Port Mann Bridge tolls rise to $3.15 per crossing". Surrey Now-Leader.
52. Lindsay, Bethany. (August 25, 2017). "Tolls to be eliminated on Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges". CBC News.
53. "Transportation Investment Corporation 2015/16 ANNUAL SERVICE PLAN REPORT". TI Corp.
54. "Traffic volumes - Transportation Investment Corporation". Transportation Investment Corporation.

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