When people drove past the weathered hulk of the old Port Mann Bridge Monday morning, it’s likely few were feeling pangs of nostalgia.
The verdict is in and drivers were thrilled after their first commute over the new eight-lane bridge, while Langley bus passengers expressed relief at the debut of express service.
On Monday, 24 Hours tested the new span and it took just nine minutes to get from 200 Street to the north side of the bridge.
Langley resident Tyrel Poirier said it normally takes him 45 minutes from 200 Street to the Brunette Avenue exit.
With the new bridge it took just 13.
“I was in shock,” Poirier said. “I knew it was going to be faster but this blew my mind.”
On Twitter, people were equally effusive: “saved me 20 mins this morning. #notbad perhaps will save me a lil more once the toll kicks in,” tweeted @harzucklehead.
The average weekday volume across the Port Mann is 115,000 to 120,000 vehicles. That might change significantly once tolls kick in next week as drivers look to free options, such as the Patullo Bridge.
At the Carvolth Transit Exchange in Langley, early-morning passengers cheered as they boarded rapid bus service to Braid Street SkyTrain.
“This is awesome,” said SFU student Amanda Lemky, who usually travels 45 minutes on the 509 to Surrey SkyTrain. “Now I can sleep in a little longer.”
Raj Sandhu, a planner in Burnaby, said he will not only save 20 minutes each way, but he has rented a bike locker at Carvolth so he can cycle.
“Saving time is huge for me,” he said. “I hope it lives up to its promise, but we shall see.”
The express service runs every 10 minutes during peak hours. Parking is free at Carvolth through March After that, it will cost $2 a day.
There was a crush of drivers who waited until the final day to register for a Port Mann Bridge decal in order to qualify for 20 free trips. According to TReO, which handles Port Mann tolling services, 90,000 vehicles were registered on Friday alone, compared to the mid-November daily average of just 3,000. People were calling right up until midnight.
The next deadline for drivers is Feb. 28 to lock in the discounted rates for the rest of 2013.
“I encourage people to register before that date,” said Max Logan, spokesperson for Transportation Investment Corporation. “We’ll plan for a spike in demand.”
Langley Mayor Peter Fassbender said the new bridge is good not just for his community, but the entire region.
“What people need to remember is that it goes across heading west but it also comes east and we’ve got a lot of people who coming out here for schools, universities, jobs,” Fassbender said.
As vice chair of TransLink’s Mayors’ Council, Fassbender said Wednesday will be important because it’s the council’s first meeting with new Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Mary Polak. The council has issue a deadline of Feb. 28, 2013 for sustainable funding options from the province.
“A lot of people have said when an election’s coming nothing will be done between now and then,” Fassbender said. “I argue with that. I think we need to be doing work all the time and we should keep our shoulder to the wheel. What we’re looking for are long-term financing solutions for the whole system not just for today but for the future.”
|
