The new Patullo Bridge will be a massive and complex structure, including the tallest bridge tower in British Columbia. There are many factors that must be carefully, methodically and safely managed throughout construction.

The new bridge is being built with specialized components supplied from all over the world, including from China, France, Italy, India, Indonesia and Spain. Following the pandemic, the disruption in the supply chain affected the fabrication of bridge components. In particular, structural steel shipments from China were delayed, affecting project construction.

Construction has also taken longer than expected due to the complexity of the project and the unique and sensitive environment in which it is being built. The project required careful planning to minimize impacts to the Fraser River and surrounding environment, and to protect historic and culturally significant sites. Building in a constrained setting while minimizing impacts to road, rail and marine users in a busy corridor also adds to the complexity of the work.

Despite these challenges, progress has been made. All necessary structural materials for the bridge have been secured, and the 167-metre-tall bridge tower is complete.

Cable stay installation and bridge deck construction are underway, and crews are installing steel girders that will form the bridge deck on the north and south approaches.

The aging Royal Avenue Overpass in New Westminster has been upgraded to current seismic standards and numerous underground utilities, including electrical, sewers and drainage have been installed or relocated.

Upcoming work on the project includes:

• building the 530-metre cable-supported bridge deck and installing 80 stay cables outward from the bridge tower;
• completing the north and south bridge approaches;
• completing the East Columbia on and off-ramps in New Westminster; and the Highway 17 off-ramp and Highway 17/Old Yale Road Overpass in Surrey; and
• completing final utility relocations, multi-use path construction, street restoration and landscaping.

The Broadway Subway is a complex infrastructure project with multiple work sites in a dense urban environment. Government has committed to maintaining mobility for all modes of transportation during construction, including transit service on one of North America’s busiest bus routes, as well as access to thousands of residences and businesses through the entirety of construction. Tunnel boring was particularly complicated adjacent to existing infrastructure, such as the Canada Line and some major utilities that service the region.

Work began during the COVID-19 pandemic, which slowed the pace of organizing resources, equipment, materials, staff and early work to relocate utilities and install traffic decks, which required complex traffic management to keep traffic moving along Broadway. A five-week labour dispute in the concrete industry delayed construction of the launch pad for tunnel-boring machines. 

Many aspects of the project are integrated and need to be completed in sequence. When one activity takes longer to complete, that affects the rest of the work, including tunnelling and station construction.

At the same time, noisy work at night is restricted in consideration of nearby residents.

Progress to date includes:

• installation of five traffic decks and five pedestrian walkways along Broadway to keep people moving during construction;
• relocation or protection in place of multiple utilities at all six station sites;
• completion of tunnel boring from Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station to Arbutus Station;
• completion of the 700-metre-long elevated guideway structure connected to the existing Millennium Line at VCC-Clark Station;
• excavation of five out of the six underground stations is finished, and the concrete bases of the stations have been built; and
• construction of the concourse levels of five out of six stations is well underway, and work on the roof has begun at Great Northern Way-Emily Carr Station.

Next, crews will:

• finish removing the tunnel-boring machines and their conveyor systems from the tunnels and stations;
• increase the pace of station work once unobstructed by tunnelling equipment;
• complete station excavation at Broadway-City Hall, including the second passenger connection to the Canada Line; and
• continue work inside the tunnels to prepare for installation of SkyTrain tracks, crew walkways, safety and communications systems.