Incoming Premier calls on BC NDP to halt new George Massey Tunnel-specific work | Daily Hive

Incoming Premier Doerkson urges outgoing BC NDP government to halt any further new George Massey Tunnel commitments ahead of review for a bridge

Cancelled: Artistic rendering of the previous 10-lane George Massey Bridge project. (Government of BC)

In just a week, Lorne Doerkson will officially become the premier of British Columbia, and his Conservative party will form a majority provincial government.

Today, the incoming premier is asking David Eby’s outgoing BC NDP administration to avoid any further commitments that would lock the provincial government into building a new immersed tunnel to replace the aging George Massey Tunnel, as his incoming administration prepares to seriously consider building a new bridge instead.

This comes amid some recent concerns since the provincial election result that expenditures are still being made on the early construction works and site preparation for the BC NDP’s immersed tunnel project. Crews are still actively working at the future construction staging and south entrance site of the new immersed tunnel, located immediately east of the existing tunnel’s entrance on Deas Island. This preliminary on-site work first began in January 2026.

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Doerkson is calling for any work during the remaining provincial government transition period to be limited to activities that could also support a bridge replacement. He wants to prevent more provincial funding from being committed exclusively to the immersed tunnel concept while his incoming administration reviews the options.

It should be emphasized that major construction activities have yet to begin. Reaching this stage of major construction necessitates the provincial government to complete and issue an environmental assessment certificate, which is expected in late 2026 after significant delays. The environmental review on the immersed tunnel first began in 2021, and it was originally anticipated to reach completion in late 2024 or 2025.

Furthermore, the project does not have a general contractor, after Eby’s administration made the decision in June 2026 to terminate the agreement with the European-led private consortium of companies that won the bid in 2024 to design and build the new immersed tunnel.

The provincial government and the European-led consortium could not reach an agreement on price, with Eby’s administration announcing weeks later that the project’s latest estimated cost had reached at least $8.5 billion — double the original estimate of $4.15 billion in 2021/2022. Its expected completion was also pushed from December 2030 to September 2031, with major construction now scheduled to begin in 2027 — but this also depends on completing the environmental assessment process and selecting new contractors.

The provincial government subsequently launched a new bidding process, dividing the remaining work into five smaller contracts instead of one large contract. Under that revised process, contractors for the first two packages were expected to be selected by early 2027, with procurement for the remaining three scheduled for 2027. It was asserted that this strategy of dividing up the contracts could reduce the cost pressures.

george massey tunnel new replacement fraser river

Preliminary artistic rendering of the new replacement George Massey Tunnel. (Government of B.C.)

2024 revised concept of the new replacement George Massey Tunnel. (Government of B.C.)

Preliminary artistic rendering of the new replacement George Massey Tunnel. (Government of B.C.)

Doerkson’s request to the outgoing BC NDP administration follows the Conservatives’ election promise to restore the original 10-lane bridge project cancelled in 2017, reversing the BC NDP’s current plan for an eight-lane immersed tunnel.

According to the Conservatives, experts have told the party that a 10-lane bridge would carry a construction cost billions of dollars lower than the current estimate of at least $8.5 billion to build the eight-lane immersed tunnel — a figure that could still change considerably during the bidding process for new contractors. As well, those experts assert that a bridge carries lower geotechnical and construction risks, and could be built in a similar timeline.

On Oct. 30, 2026, the federal government confirmed its allocated funding for the immersed tube tunnel concept could be reallocated to a bridge, if that is the strategy preferred by the incoming provincial government. The 2026 federal budget announced on Nov. 5 reaffirmed that up to $3 billion in federal funding has been set aside for the new immersed tunnel, with $300 million set aside for each of the next five fiscal years starting in 2026/2027, and any subsequent amounts to be determined at a later date.

“British Columbians have elected a new government with a mandate to take a hard look at major infrastructure priorities and make sure taxpayers are getting the best possible value, and we believe that is a new bridge,” said Doerkson.

The incoming premier is seeking restrictions on new contracts, changes to existing agreements, decisions about hiring contractors, and approvals. Those restrictions would apply to commitments that add spending specifically for the immersed tunnel, substantially advance that sole option, or reduce the incoming government’s ability to choose an alternative.

This also suggests the Conservatives want the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit to pause its ongoing procurement process for selecting the five new contractors.

“We’re not looking to stop work that will be needed either way, and we will respect existing contracts. What we want to avoid is spending more taxpayers’ money on work that moves only the tunnel option forward,” said Doerkson.

Cancelled: Artistic rendering of the previous 10-lane George Massey Bridge project. (Government of BC)

Although his preference is a bridge, the project’s final direction would be settled by the incoming cabinet following its review.

“We are not asking for all work to stop. Work that is necessary should continue until cabinet is in a position to finalize the project’s direction. We should not be spending more money or making new commitments that lock British Columbians into the tunnel option before the incoming government has completed its review.”

Doerkson’s incoming administration wants to complete that process promptly and give workers, contractors, municipal governments, and others affected by the project as much clarity as possible. They did not identify which individual construction activities could continue or be paused, or provide a deadline for the review.

The provincial government previously described the early construction and site preparation work to include clearing trees, relocating utilities, building temporary access infrastructure, and preparing a basin — where large pre-cast concrete segments of the new tunnel would be made and floated out for positioning into a new trench on the Fraser River’s bed.

new george massey tunnel preliminary construction work may 21 2026

Site preparation and preliminary construction work for the new George Massey Tunnel, next to the south end of the existing tunnel as seen on May 21, 2026. (Government of B.C.)

david eby george massey tunnel construction oct 16 2026

David Eby at the early works construction site for the new George Massey Tunnel at Deas Island on Oct. 16, 2026. (BC NDP)

Concept visual of the manufacturing facility on Deas Island for the new George Massey Tunnel segments. (Government of B.C.)

Concept of the new replacement George Massey Tunnel. (Government of B.C.)

In response to Doerkson’s request, outgoing B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth, the re-elected MLA of Port Coquitlam, asserted that the Conservatives are now struggling to fulfill their “reckless promise” of pivoting the project to a bridge.

Farnworth said during the post-election transition period, elected officials do not issue directions and the government bureaucracy runs the government independent of elected officials and new political leadership.

“This is a strange attempt by Lorne Doerkson to pin the costs of this reckless promise on anyone but himself. He knew when he promised to cancel this tunnel that construction was already well underway and hundreds of millions of dollars had been spent,” said Farnworth in a statement.

“He is well aware that during elections and transition periods, elected officials do not issue directions and the non-partisan civil service administers the government independently. The outgoing BC NDP government is undertaking no new work or direction on this project, and I’m confident that independent public servants are acting appropriately, including taking their direction from the incoming government.”

Farnworth also suggested Doerkson is “either laying the groundwork to break his commitment, or try to blame someone else for what it will cost British Columbians.”

A switch would mark another reversal in the long-running, controversial effort to replace the seismically unsafe and congested four-lane, counterflow-controlled immersed tunnel built in 1959. Christy Clark’s previous BC Liberals-led government had pursued a 10-lane bridge that was just months away from selecting its contractor and starting major construction, before John Horgan’s BC NDP-led government cancelled that project after taking office in 2017.

At the time, Clark’s administration received a low fixed-price bid of $2.6 billion — well below the estimated project cost of $3.5 billion. The original bridge project was anticipated to reach completion in 2022.

The Conservatives’ newly elected MLAs are scheduled to be sworn in next week on Thursday, Nov. 19, followed by the announcement and swearing-in of Doerkson’s cabinet on Friday, Nov. 20, formally bringing the new provincial government into office.

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