BC Conservative leader candidate eyes 10-lane George Massey bridge project revival | Daily Hive

BC Conservative leader candidate proposes reviving 10-lane George Massey bridge project as the 'Sir John A. Macdonald Gateway'

Cancelled: Artistic rendering of the previous 10-lane George Massey Bridge and Highway 99 corridor upgrade project. (Government of BC)

As part of his pitch to become the new leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, Iain Black is calling for the cancellation of the BC NDP-led provincial government’s eight-lane George Massey Tunnel replacement project and the revival of the BC Liberals’ original plans to build a new 10-lane bridge project.

Under the BC Liberals, Black was the MLA representing a large area of the Tri-Cities of Metro Vancouver between 2005 and 2011, a period when he also served as the minister of small business, technology and economic development and minister of labour for Premier Gordon Campbell’s administration.

Prior to politics, he had a career in business and tech. Between 2011 and 2019, he was also the president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.

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Today, Black announced that a provincial government led by him under the BC Conservatives would “immediately” cancel the current eight-lane immersed tunnel project and resurrect the original 10-lane George Massey Bridge project.

That original project included not only two more lanes of vehicle traffic, but also extensive purpose-built bus infrastructure down the centre of the Highway 99 corridor between the south end of the Oak Street Bridge in Richmond and Delta, and larger new interchanges, especially for the Steveston interchange.

The wider crossing and bus-only lanes were also designed to be convertible into a future SkyTrain line along the Highway 99 corridor between Bridgeport in Richmond and Delta and South Surrey.

“After more than a decade of gridlock leading to missed ferries, family dinners and soccer practices because of NDP political gamesmanship, the people of Metro Vancouver deserve real leadership — not excuses and endless delays,” said Black.

“The NDP cancelled a better, cheaper, ready-to-build bridge out of spite. Years later, commuters are still trapped in traffic with no budget certainty and an ever-changing timeline for completion.”

Cancelled: Artistic rendering of the previous 10-lane George Massey Bridge and Highway 99 corridor upgrade project. (Government of B.C.)

In September 2017, about four months after the provincial election, the newly elected B.C. NDP-led provincial government cancelled the bridge project, with Premier John Horgan, B.C. Minister of Transportation Claire Trevana and Green Party of B.C. leader Andrew Weaver, at the time, staunchly opposed, and, deferring to the opposition expressed by some municipal governments, especially the City of Richmond. Opponents at the time argued the new bridge would provide too much capacity, create upstream congestion at the Oak Street Bridge, impact views and the Fraser River’s environment, and open up the possibility for more ship traffic through the area.

The BC NDP leadership at the time had also emerged from the election with a toll-free crossing policy, removing tolls on the Port Mann Bridge and George Massey Bridge in August 2017. The 10-lane George Massey Bridge project was to include tolls as part of its overall business case.

Black calls the 2017 cancellation of the shovel-ready project an “immature and politically motivated decision.”

After the cancellation, Trevana forced planning to restart from scratch, and formed a regional task force comprised of select Metro Vancouver mayors — including Richmond, Delta, Vancouver, Surrey, and others — which selected the alternative project of an eight-lane immersive tunnel in October 2019.

Then, in August 2021, the provincial government formally backed the regional task force’s recommendation for an eight-lane immersed tunnel project, with the preliminary cost estimate of $4.15 billion provided for the very first time — a figure that includes the new tunnel, smaller interchange improvement projects, and significantly downsized bus priority measures compared to the original bridge project. The construction cost was higher, despite less being achieved compared to the original project.

As reported by Daily Hive Urbanized over the past decade, the original bridge project was shovel-ready in 2017 and would have provided long-term congestion relief, improved seismic safety, and added extensive centre bus-only lanes and other public transit infrastructure. The bridge was originally estimated to cost $3.5 billion, with competitive bids coming in as low as $2.6 billion before it was cancelled. Under the original timeline, construction would have begun in late 2017, and the new crossing would have been ready in 2022.

Cancelled: Artistic rendering of the previous 10-lane George Massey Bridge and Highway 99 corridor upgrade project. (Government of B.C.)

Construction on the new eight-lane immersed tunnel is currently scheduled to begin in 2026 for a completion and opening in 2030. But this completely depends on the issuance of an environmental assessment certificate this year, with the rigorous environmental assessment process for the tunnel project first beginning in 2021.

In 2024, following a procurement bidding process, the provincial government selected a private consortium led by European companies to design and build the project.

Officially, the project’s estimated budget is stated at $4.15 billion — a figure that was first publicly announced in 2021, before accounting for the steep pandemic-induced inflation in the market costs of construction labour, materials, and equipment that began in 2022, as well as the contract award and environmental assessment conditions.

New George Massey bridge replacement named the “Sir John A. Macdonald Gateway”

Black also said a provincial government led by him would not only restart the bridge project, but also invite public input on its name.

“For my part, I would propose that the crossing be called the Sir John A. Macdonald Gateway — in honour of Canada’s first prime minister and his vision of connecting the country from sea to sea,” commented Black.

He added that final naming decisions should rest with the public. “This bridge should commemorate Canada’s history and its importance in linking lower mainland communities and connecting Canada with the world,” he noted. “This bridge will belong to all of us.”

Black’s proposal appears to intentionally contrast with the BC NDP-led provincial government’s approach to infrastructure naming, which has often relied primarily on local First Nations input. The most recent example is the new Pattullo Bridge, controversially officially named the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge following consultation with the Musqueam First Nation and Kwantlen First Nation. The bridge also carries the English name Riverview Bridge, with both the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and English names displayed on signage.

The BC NDP–led provincial government does not plan to retain the George Massey Tunnel name for the replacement project, ending the long-standing designation that honours former Delta MLA Nehemiah George Massey, who championed the construction of the original tunnel.

riverview bridge stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge pattullo

Directional sign for the new replacement Pattullo Bridge in both the First Nations name of Stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge and the English name of Riverview Bridge. (Government of BC)

Teresa Wat, the BC Conservative MLA for the riding of Richmond-Bridgeport, also spoke in support of restoring the bridge plan, emphasizing the daily impact congestion has on her community.

“Richmond families and businesses have paid the price for this decision every single day,” said Wat. “Our community depends on reliable access to neighbouring cities, to ferries, to jobs, and to emergency services. We urgently need congestion relief and a crossing that actually works for the region.”

The existing tunnel currently carries approximately 80,000 vehicles per day through a four-lane tunnel built in 1959 that does not meet modern seismic standards. Critics of the tunnel replacement argue the new design offers less capacity than the cancelled bridge while costing more and taking longer to deliver.

“Good government means making decisions based on evidence and common sense,” said Black.

“The 10-lane bridge was always the right answer for the growing communities around it, and under my leadership, that’s exactly what we will deliver.”

The BC Conservatives will select a new party leader on May 30, 2026. The leadership race was triggered by John Rustad’s resignation last month following a prolonged period internal division within the party. Trevor Halford is currently serving as the interim party leader.

A number of candidates have already been publicly announced. In addition to Black, other candidates include BC Conservative Kamloops Centre MLA and former longtime Kamloops mayor Peter Milobar and BC Conservative Prince George-North Cariboo MLA Sheldon Clare, as well as political commentator Caroline Elliot, Warren Hamm, and Yuri Fulmer.

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