What about the Patullo Bridge? Updated

In light of today’s news that the Pattullo Bridge not only will collapse in a seismic event, it may topple in a wind storm.

Pattullo Bridge vulnerable during seismic or ai???high-windai??i?? events: Report

Zwei believes the old child’s song should be updated to:

Pattullo bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down

Pattullo Bridge is falling down…………………………………

Both the Pattullo and the Fraser River rail bridges have well past their ai???best byai??? dates

and desperately are in need of replacement.

In 1978, the GVRD were poised to install a three leg light rail system on the region and to cross the Fraser river a new bridge would have to be built.

Demonstrating the forward thinking of the era, so sorely lacking today,Ai?? GVRD planners conceived a multi-use bridge tp replace both the aging Patullo Bridge and the single track and down right decrepit Fraser River rail bridge, to service:

1. Mainline railways (2 track lift span)
2. LRT (two tracks)
3. Ai??Cyclists (two cycle paths)
4. Vehicles (four lanes)

The envisioned bridge, includingAi?? a ai???fastai??i?? lift span for the railway line, would have given ample capacity, including a Vancouver to Chilliwack rail service which was envisaged at the time.

It is now history, as the provincial government imposed SkyTrain on the region and a stand alone SkyTrain, Sky Bridge was built instead and a replacement for the badly aging Pattullo Bridge is about a decade away and a replacement for the absolutely decrepit Fraser River Rail Bridge is no where in sight.

Today, the provincial Liberal government is going to spend $3.5 billion or more on a single ten lane ai???vanityai??? bridge to replace the recently refurbished Massey Tunnel, while at the same time, the Patullo and Fraser River Rail bridges continue rot away.

Would it not be better to invest the $3.5 billion on a new tube to complement the existing Massey Tunnel and a new multi use bridge to replace the previous aging road and rail bridges, while at the same time bring transit improvements to South of the Fraser?

Maybe metro Vancouver should dust off the 1978 rail/road bridge and build it to replace both decaying bridges?

Maybe regional mayors should set aside their political allegiances and do what should be done?

I am not holding my breathe!