Skip to main content

George Massey Tunnel Replacement gets environmental approval

The Canadian province of British Columbia has given environmental approval for a 10-lane US$2.8 billion bridge to replace the ageing George Massey Tunnel near Vancouver. However, approval for the 3km cable stay bridge over the Fraser River comes with 33 conditions, according to Canadian media. Construction of the toll bridge will also mean replacing the interchanges of Westminster Highway, Steveston Highway and Highway 17A.
February 13, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The Canadian province of British Columbia has given environmental approval for a 10-lane US$2.8 billion bridge to replace the ageing George Massey Tunnel near Vancouver.

However, approval for the 3km cable stay bridge over the Fraser River comes with 33 conditions, according to Canadian media.

Construction of the toll bridge will also mean replacing the interchanges of Westminster Highway, Steveston Highway and Highway 17A.

The western Canadian project – called the George Massey Tunnel Replacement - still requires federal, provincial and local government permits before it can be given the green light for construction, expected to start this year for completion by 2022. An official name for the bridge has yet to be chosen.

Three consortia are vying for the project to which is intended to replace the existing George Massey Tunnel. One consortium is headed by Spanish company ACS and its local subsidiaries and also includes Star America Infrastructure Partners and Aecon. Another of the competing consortia is comprised of Kiewit, 2378 Macquarie and 5177 Vinci. The third consortium in the running for the project is made up of 6343 Fluor, 1378 John Laing and SNC-Lavalin.

The new bridge will be 547m above the water, allowing for the tallest of ships to pass, and have a separate lane for cyclists and pedestrians as well as high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.

It will also be more than twice as long as the recently completed Port Mann Toll Bridge. A 3260 World Highways %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 2 23103 0 oLinkInternal key project report in August 2015 Almost gone: Canada’s old Port Mann Bridge deconstructed false /sections/key-projects/features/almost-gone-canadas-old-port-mann-bridge-deconstructed/ false false%> featured the dismantling of the old bridge beside which the new bridge was built.

The bridge will be built directly above the George Massey Tunnel which was opened in 1959 but which suffers increasingly regular traffic congestion. Keeping it open as an alternate route or as a route for cycling and pedestrians was mooted but the cost of maintaining an ageing structure would be prohibitive. It will be closed and demolished after the new bridge is opened.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Egis Projects-Sanef consortium sign second major ORT operations contract in Canada
    April 4, 2012
    A consortium composed of Egis Projects and Sanef has signed a contract for the operation of the Port Mann Bridge open road tolling (ORT) project in the Metro Vancouver Area, Canada. The largest transportation infrastructure project in British Columbia history, it includes doubling the capacity of the bridge and widening the highway from Vancouver to Langley, a distance of 37km. Once complete, it will reduce travel times by up to 30%, and save drivers up to an hour a day. The new bridge will also provide for
  • Quebec to build new Mercier Bridge for Montreal city
    May 12, 2017
    The Canadian province of Quebec plans to build a US$219 million bridge across the St Lawrence River alongside the existing Mercier Bridge in the city of Montreal. Provincial government cabinet ministers Pierre Moreau and Geoff Kelley confirmed that a new bridge is forthcoming, but gave schedule for procurement or construction start, according to local media. However, Moreau said the work will begin probably before the new Champlain Bridge is finished at the start of 2019. Construction of the new Champlain B
  • Champlain Bridge consortium files lawsuit
    October 25, 2021
    Signature on the Saint Lawrence claims the Canadian federal government passed a large part of additional costs onto SSL.
  • Scotland’s Queensferry Crossing opens to traffic
    August 30, 2017
    The new Queensferry Crossing in Scotland is now open to traffic, with the first vehicles crossing at 2am this morning. The landmark design has set precedents in engineering, its three 207m high towers making it the tallest of its type in the UK and at 2.7km, also the longest three tower cable-stayed bridge built anywhere in the world. The bridge has a design life of 150 years and features two traffic lanes in either direction, as well as emergency lanes on either side. The new bridge will help reduce the ch