It’s the end of an era: the Pattullo Bridge is closed for good as it’s replacement fully opened Saturday morning. As of 7 a.m., all four lanes of the new stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge, or Riverview Bridge, were open to traffic. The bridge can be accessed via McBride Boulevard and a new Royal Avenue on-ramp on the New Westminster side, and King George Boulevard in Surrey. One lane of the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge opened in December, but both bridges were fully closed this week so crews could finish connections to roadways on either side of the replacement. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to use the nearly 90-year-old Pattullo Bridge until Tuesday, when the crossing will permanently shut so it can be demolished. The Pattullo Bridge deconstruction is scheduled to begin in late February and will take about two years. Meanwhile, pedestrian access on the new bridge is expected to open in the spring. New on- and off-ramps in Surrey and New Westminster will be built once the Pattullo Bridge is partially removed. The name stal̕əw̓asəm was given by the Kwantlen First Nation and Musqueam Indian Band, and means “a space where you can view the river” in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓.
