The B.C. Conservative Party has announced plans to replace the aging George Massey Tunnel in Metro Vancouver with a new 10-lane bridge if they win the election. This decision would involve abandoning the NDP’s proposal for an $8.5 billion eight-lane tunnel. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson revealed this strategy in a press release on Thursday, criticizing the lack of progress under the NDP’s leadership.
The Conservative party did not disclose the estimated cost of the proposed bridge but criticized the NDP’s tunnel project as a costly venture, highlighting that the projected expenses had more than doubled from the initial budget. In response, NDP Leader David Eby condemned the Conservative plan as “lunacy,” emphasizing that construction was already underway and a federal commitment of $3 billion was at stake.
Eby argued that the Conservative proposal would cause further delays in the project, necessitating a new environmental assessment and procurement process. This development marks a significant shift in the ongoing saga of replacing the tunnel, which has spanned over a decade.
Previously, the B.C. Liberal government had planned to construct a $3.5 billion 10-lane bridge to replace the tunnel, slated for construction in 2017. However, the NDP, led by John Horgan, scrapped this initiative upon assuming power in 2017 and later unveiled their own plan for a modern tunnel crossing in 2021.
Additionally, the B.C. Conservatives have promised to build a new women and children’s hospital in Surrey alongside the proposed bridge. While construction is already in progress for a new 168-bed hospital and cancer center in Surrey’s Cloverdale neighborhood, the cost of this project has escalated from $1.72 billion to $2.88 billion, with completion now expected in 2030 instead of 2027. The Conservatives aim to complete the Cloverdale facility within the set timeline and budget but did not provide specific details on the women and children’s hospital proposal.
