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.
- You might also like:
- New $4.15 billion George Massey Tunnel with eight lanes confirmed by BC government
- Construction begins on new Steveston interchange on Highway 99 in Richmond
- Opinion: Metro Vancouver desperately needs the new George Massey Bridge
- Opinion: BC's big mistake with cancelling the original 10-lane Massey Bridge project
- New Nordel Way crossing over Highway 91 in Delta opens to traffic
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.
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:
Built design:
- You might also like:
- New $4.15 billion George Massey Tunnel with eight lanes confirmed by BC government
- Construction begins on new Steveston interchange on Highway 99 in Richmond
- Opinion: Metro Vancouver desperately needs the new George Massey Bridge
- Opinion: BC's big mistake with cancelling the original 10-lane Massey Bridge project
- New Nordel Way crossing over Highway 91 in Delta opens to traffic