Pattullo Bridge

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Pattullo Bridge from Surrey on the south side of the Fraser River.
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Pattullo Bridge from Surrey on the south side of the Fraser River.
Pattullo Bridge (above), as seen from the Skybridge.
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Pattullo Bridge (above), as seen from the Skybridge.

Pattullo Bridge is a compression arch suspended-deck bridge located in the Greater Vancouver Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. Constructed in 1936-37, it spans the Fraser River and links the city of New Westminster on the north bank of the river to the city of Surrey on the south bank. The Bridge's base surprisingly is constructed of wood. The bridge forms part of Routes 1A and 99A.

The Pattullo Bridge consists of four lanes (two in each direction) with no barrier of any sort in the centre, making it highly prone to head-on collisions, especially at excessive speed or bad weather. The province and TransLink have since closed the middle lanes to traffic from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in an effort to lower the high number of fatal head-on collisions that occur, and installed a series of plastic pillars to raise visibility of the centre lane divider. On January 2, 2006, four people were killed in a T-bone collision between two cars on the southern approach lane.

In response to the high number of crashes that take place on the bridge, TransLink is studying the idea of reducing the number of lanes on the bridge from four to three utilizing a counterflow operation. This arrangement is similar to what is being used on the Lions Gate Bridge with the number of lanes being varied depending on traffic flow and volume. A second key and more controversial proposal, is to install photo radar on the bridge to enforce the existing speed limit. Thus far, the provincial government have ruled out the idea of photo radar being brought back.1

Its appearance of dark orange colour and arch shape highly resembles the Port Mann Bridge, located just a few kilometers upstream. The bridge was named for Thomas Dufferin Pattullo, former premier of British Columbia.


Bridges and Tunnels in Greater Vancouver
Road bridges: Alex Fraser Bridge | Arthur Laing Bridge | Burrard Street Bridge | Cambie Street Bridge | Dinsmore Bridge | Dollarton Bridge | Dunsmuir Viaduct | Georgia Viaduct | Golden Ears Bridge | Granville Street Bridge | Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing | Knight Street Bridge | Lions' Gate Bridge | Moray Bridge | No. 2 Road Bridge | Oak Street Bridge | Pattullo Bridge | Pitt River Bridge | Port Mann Bridge | Queensborough Bridge | Sea Island Bridge | Westham Island Bridge
Road-rail bridges: Derwent Way Bridge
Rail bridges: CNR Bridge | Fraser River Swing Bridge | Marpole Bridge | Second Narrows Bridge | Skybridge
Pedestrian bridges: Capilano Suspension Bridge | Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
Road tunnels: Cassiar Tunnel | George Massey Tunnel
Rail tunnels: B.C. Railway Tunnel | CNR Tunnel | Douglas Tunnel | Dunsmuir Tunnel | Lonsdale Tunnel
Crossings of the Fraser River
Upstream
Fraser River Swing Bridge
Pattullo Bridge
Downstream
Skybridge