Port Mann Construction

[mb_]

New bridge draws praise all around | Local | News | Vancouver 24 hrs

When people drove past the weathered hulk of the old Port Mann Bridge Monday morning, it’s likely few were feeling pangs of nostalgia.

The verdict is in and drivers were thrilled after their first commute over the new eight-lane bridge, while Langley bus passengers expressed relief at the debut of express service.

On Monday, 24 Hours tested the new span and it took just nine minutes to get from 200 Street to the north side of the bridge.

Langley resident Tyrel Poirier said it normally takes him 45 minutes from 200 Street to the Brunette Avenue exit.

With the new bridge it took just 13.

“I was in shock,” Poirier said. “I knew it was going to be faster but this blew my mind.”

On Twitter, people were equally effusive: “saved me 20 mins this morning. #notbad perhaps will save me a lil more once the toll kicks in,” tweeted @harzucklehead.

The average weekday volume across the Port Mann is 115,000 to 120,000 vehicles. That might change significantly once tolls kick in next week as drivers look to free options, such as the Patullo Bridge.

At the Carvolth Transit Exchange in Langley, early-morning passengers cheered as they boarded rapid bus service to Braid Street SkyTrain.

“This is awesome,” said SFU student Amanda Lemky, who usually travels 45 minutes on the 509 to Surrey SkyTrain. “Now I can sleep in a little longer.”

Raj Sandhu, a planner in Burnaby, said he will not only save 20 minutes each way, but he has rented a bike locker at Carvolth so he can cycle.

“Saving time is huge for me,” he said. “I hope it lives up to its promise, but we shall see.”

The express service runs every 10 minutes during peak hours. Parking is free at Carvolth through March After that, it will cost $2 a day.

There was a crush of drivers who waited until the final day to register for a Port Mann Bridge decal in order to qualify for 20 free trips. According to TReO, which handles Port Mann tolling services, 90,000 vehicles were registered on Friday alone, compared to the mid-November daily average of just 3,000. People were calling right up until midnight.

The next deadline for drivers is Feb. 28 to lock in the discounted rates for the rest of 2013.

“I encourage people to register before that date,” said Max Logan, spokesperson for Transportation Investment Corporation. “We’ll plan for a spike in demand.”

Langley Mayor Peter Fassbender said the new bridge is good not just for his community, but the entire region.

“What people need to remember is that it goes across heading west but it also comes east and we’ve got a lot of people who coming out here for schools, universities, jobs,” Fassbender said.

As vice chair of TransLink’s Mayors’ Council, Fassbender said Wednesday will be important because it’s the council’s first meeting with new Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Mary Polak. The council has issue a deadline of Feb. 28, 2013 for sustainable funding options from the province.

“A lot of people have said when an election’s coming nothing will be done between now and then,” Fassbender said. “I argue with that. I think we need to be doing work all the time and we should keep our shoulder to the wheel. What we’re looking for are long-term financing solutions for the whole system not just for today but for the future.”

[inv4zn]

It's very refreshing to see positive results from a controversial project.

I just really hope politicians don't use this to fuel political agenda's (to an extent of course - praise is due where praise is due) but I'm most certainly it will.

Will report back on Patullo traffic differences if I notice any once the tolling starts

[Soundy]

Of course, there are always the idiots who just want something to complain about... like the guy who called the Simi Sara show this afternoon: not five minutes after reporter Shane Woodford talked about his morning commute, noted specifically the issues at the Brunette exit *because it's not finished yet* and pointed out that ALL the rest of the on and off ramps were still being revamped... some twit calls in and whines about how "they spent billions on this bridge and all they're doing is moving the problem and all the ramps are terrible and will just become a bigger mess..."

[SoulCrusher]

^ sounds like a resident of Vancouver or burnaby
Posted via RS Mobile

[Soundy]

Oh yeah, the capper was, dipshit said he hadn't even driven the new bridge yet, and when Simi asked him whether he was planning to, he just sidestepped the question.

Musta been a Vision councilor.

[Presto]

So, a friend took the new 555 bus, this morning. 18 min from Walnut Grove to Braid.

[Tapioca]

Originally Posted by Presto

So, a friend took the new 555 bus, this morning. 18 min from Walnut Grove to Braid.

This is a pretty good option for people who live in Langley. But if Surrey gets its way and has a stop built, it will probably increase the time by 5-10 minutes.
Posted via RS Mobile

[originalhypa]

Originally Posted by Vancouver 24 Hours_

it’s likely few were feeling pangs of nostalgia.

More like pangs of good riddance.
After commuting on that bridge from 1994 until 2003 I welcome the new bridge. Not happy about the toll, but hey, that's capitalism at it's finest. Plus my time is worth more than the toll.

[mb_]

Went over it this morning.. No backups until I got to Brunette lol
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[GabAlmighty]

I don't wanna put my sticker on my windshield, booooo

[Lomac]

Chances are it doesn't matter where on your windshield you put the sticker, provided it's not behind the tint. You can also request a small sticker to go somewhere on your headlights, if need be.

[!Kodamu]

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[MG1]

Originally Posted by Lomac

Chances are it doesn't matter where on your windshield you put the sticker, provided it's not behind the tint. You can also request a small sticker to go somewhere on your headlights, if need be.

The headlight ones are for motorcycles, no?

I think the idea behind the 2 inches below rearview mirror stem is so that the sticker isn't in direct line of view on windshield.

just guessing..............

[fliptuner]

Originally Posted by MG1

The headlight ones are for motorcycles, no?

I think the idea behind the 2 inches below rearview mirror stem is so that the sticker isn't in direct line of view on windshield.

just guessing..............

I might just put mine where the old inspection stickers used to go - bottom left.

[Hondaracer]

Driving a truck I put mine about an inch below the mirror stem, I cannot see it no matter how I turn my head/where I look

However, I put the sticker on when I was baked and in the dark and now it's totally crooked lol
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[mb_]

I didn't wanna put it behind my mirror because it'd be an eye sore but I said fuck it and it turns out I can't even see it at all unless I'm outside

[BlackV62K2]

Rear ender on port mann today on the west end near lougheed hwy exit in HOV lane. Traffic was a crawl from toll cameras. Not impressed.

[nabs]

i passed by (eastbound) there around 10:20ish... i guess it just happened then. but traffic was backed way passed 160 exit

[BlackV62K2]

Originally Posted by nabs

i passed by (eastbound) there around 10:20ish... i guess it just happened then. but traffic was backed way passed 160 exit

Yeah it happened around 10am. Still takes only one minor accident to cripple the bridge .

[Great68]

I'm glad to hear the advertised time savings claims have come true.

Now with a fatter pipe, more people will be encouraged to move out to the valley. I wonder how many years it will be before traffic clogs up again?

[murd0c]

Originally Posted by Great68

I'm glad to hear the advertised time savings claims have come true.

Now with a fatter pipe, more people will be encouraged to move out to the valley. I wonder how many years it will be before traffic clogs up again?

they really have and I'm so shocked about it. It's weird not being stuck in traffic anymore in the morning. The way it's going I don't mind paying a toll since my times worth a lot more then the $1.50 fee each way.

[blkgsr]

it's been great going home (surrey to coq) everyday this week

Major improvent vs last week...i've never stopped/slowed down yet trying to get on the highway at 152

[falcon]

Originally Posted by BlackV62K2

Yeah it happened around 10am. Still takes only one minor accident to cripple the bridge .

A minor accident will always cripple the bridge. I passed westbound over the bridge today at 8:45 and it was completely empty. No line entering at 152 either. Once tolling starts on the 8th, expect it to get even less congested.

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by BlackV62K2

Rear ender on port mann today on the west end near lougheed hwy exit in HOV lane. Traffic was a crawl from toll cameras. Not impressed.

Originally Posted by BlackV62K2

Yeah it happened around 10am. Still takes only one minor accident to cripple the bridge .

Still only takes one minor accident to cripple ANY section of highway. Wouldn't matter if it was eight lanes each way, you just need a cop to pull someone over, and everyone has to slow down and and look. There's no cure for gaper's delay... you just can't fix stupid.

[mb_]

There were 2 separate rear enders after Port Mann westbound 200 meters away from each other.. Looks like it just happened when I passed by at around 6:45am