BC Conservatives say they would scrap key projects, including Pattullo replacement
The BC Conservatives would shelve major infrastructure projects to save money, opposition transportation critic Harman Bhangu said recently on the Coastal Front podcast.
Commenting on the large number of major infrastructure projects underway under the BC NDP, Bhangu said: “Look at how many projects they got going everywhere. Do they have the money for this? That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day.”
Asked by host Andrew Johns if he would halt projects, Bhangu said: “We’re at that point, Andrew. We’re gonna have to do something.”
“We’re building bridges, Skytrain, hospitals, and schools to support people as our communities grow,” said BC NDP Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth. “The BC Conservative plan for aggressive cuts would mean cancelling these projects. That would kill thousands of good-paying jobs, leave people stuck in traffic, and make it harder for people to get the services they need.”
Bhangu singled out the Pattullo Bridge replacement for cancellation: “A couple projects right now that you would probably want to shelve? Something, you know, unpopular, but Pattullo Bridge.”
The Pattullo replacement is nearly finished and is set to open later this year.
“If they want to cancel a project that is nearly complete, imagine what that would mean for projects like the Surrey-Langley Skytrain extension, the new acute care tower at Surrey Memorial, or new schools,” said Farnworth. “They won’t get built.”
Bhangu also suggested that the Pattullo replacement should be six lanes instead of four, which would cost taxpayers more for no benefit as vehicles would still need to merge down to four lanes on the north side of the crossing. The new bridge is twice as wide as the hold one and is designed to expand to six lanes if the surrounding infrastructure allows it.
In August 2024, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad said that “there’s so many projects going on right now, we don’t have capacity to build them all.”
Video of Bhangu’s comments is available here. The full podcast is available here.