New bus lane from Bridgeport Road to Highway 99 complete

Feb 4 2023, 12:46 am

TransLink buses travelling along Highway 99 from SkyTrain Bridgeport Station in Richmond are now shaving off as much as a few minutes in travel time for southbound trips.

Construction recently reached completion on the provincial government’s Bridgeport Road bus connection project, which is a new bus-only lane from Bridgeport Road to Highway 99’s southbound direction near the south end of the Oak Street Bridge.

This is a ground-level road with a signalized intersection at Sea Island Way that prioritizes buses and pedestrians, and it includes a new multi-use pathway for cyclists and pedestrians near Highway 99 and Patterson Road.

bridgeport road bus lane highway 99

The southbound-only bus lane between Bridgeport Road and Highway 99. (Government of BC)

bridgeport road bus lane highway 99

The southbound-only bus lane between Bridgeport Road and Highway 99. (Daryl Dela Cruz)

The bus lane was built with a $5.3 million budget, which also covers the Highway 99 and 17A off-ramp widening. These roadworks are part of the provincial government’s early projects under the $4.15 billion George Massey Tunnel replacement project, which entails an eight-lane immersed tube tunnel, Highway 99 shoulder widenings for bus-only lanes, and a new Steveston Highway interchange, which is currently under construction for a 2025 completion. Construction on the new tunnel is not expected to begin until 2026, with an opening in 2030.

The southbound-only, ground-level bus lane with intersections represents a significantly scaled-back design compared to the original plan for a two-lane, grade-separated flyover elevated road ramp between SkyTrain Bridgeport Station’s bus exchange and Highway 99, serving both northbound and southbound directions. This original concept was part of the original $3.5 billion, 10-lane bridge project, which was cancelled in 2017.

Cancelled design:

Cancelled design: Northern terminus of proposed HOV / Transit Lanes. Note direct transit only connection to Bridgeport Station via flyover. (Government of BC)

Built design:

bridgeport road bus lane highway 99

The southbound-only bus lane between Bridgeport Road and Highway 99. (Government of BC)

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