Builder picked for the six-lane crossing that will link Surrey with Maple Ridge
William Boei
Sun
HANDOUT/TRANSLINK An artist’s rendering shows what the six-lane Golden Ears Bridge would look like when completed
TransLink directors picked a builder Wednesday for Greater Vancouver’s latest megaproject — a six-lane, cable-stayed, $800-million toll bridge that will link Surrey and Langley on the south shore of the Fraser River to Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows on the north side.
The decision to build the bridge, due to open in 2009, capped a stormy three-year reign for an often-divided TransLink board that nevertheless managed to sketch out an ambitious long-term regional transportation plan and approve four big-money projects:
– The $1.9-billion Canada Line, a rapid transit line running through tunnels and over elevated guideways, linking downtown Vancouver with the international airport and downtown Richmond, also due to open in 2009.
– The $800-million northeast rapid transit line, a street-level light-rail system joining Burnaby’s Lougheed SkyTrain station to Coquitlam Centre via Port Moody, also due in 2009.
– The Golden Ears Bridge, to be built and operated by the 21-member Golden Crossing Group, led by Bilfinger Berger BOT, a German giant specializing in joint government-private projects around the world.
– $500-million worth of new trolley buses, compressed natural gas buses and local shuttle buses, some to replace TransLink’s existing bus fleet as it ages, others to expand the fleet.
The bridge project passed with little debate. Only Vancouver director Raymond Louie objected, saying it was the product of “a flawed process.”
Louie said he wanted to see an independent “value for money” report on the Bilfinger bid before giving it final approval. TransLink staff said the report will not be available until mid-February.
It remains for TransLink staff to negotiate an agreement with the Golden Crossing Group. But unless there is a snag, the project does not need to come back to the TransLink board for further approvals.
It was the last meeting of the current TransLink board, chaired by former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum, who was defeated in the Nov. 19 civic election, and it was a busy one.
Besides approving the bridge builder, directors also:
– Decided to plow ahead with a renewed AirCare program.
– Agreed to spend nearly $43 million on a new communications system for the bus fleet.
– Agreed that the northeast light rail line will be called the Evergreen Line, and to look into naming all its cars for famous people and regional geography.
– Approved a controversial parking-stall tax that will help pay for its operations in the coming years.
– Decided to stick with a region-wide property-tax increase that will collect a windfall $18 million on top of the $235.3 million budgeted for, as a side effect of rising property values.
TransLink staff said the board could roll back the tax rate and not collect the extra $18 million, but if it ran short of money, it couldn’t reinstate the increase unless it went through a lengthy public consultation process and had it ratified by the Greater Vancouver Regional District board.
Directors decided to keep the money, but asked for a staff report on easier ways to adjust the property-tax rate in future.
– Voted to have Canada Line stations designed without ticket gates or turnstiles, but in a way that would allow them to be added in future if necessary.
TransLink vice-president Sheri Plewes said the TransLink police force, newly armed and doubling in size over the next several years, will be more effective than fare gates in ensuring passengers pay.
Plewes said the amount of fare cheating on the system is less than commonly believed. TransLink surveys indicate the public thinks up to 27 per cent of passengers ride free, but a fare audit had shown only 6.29 per cent fail to pay.
If the public perception was correct, TransLink would be losing $29 million a year in unpaid fares, Plewes said, but the audit showed the actual loss is only $6 million — less than the combined capital and operating cost of installing fare gates.
© The Vancouver Sun 2005
