Pile driving will now take place on Sundays as part of the Pattullo Bridge replacement project.
Fraser River Partners, which is designing and building the new bridge on behalf of the provincial government, has announced an additional day of work for construction of the bridge’s foundation.
“In-river bridge foundation work on the main tower for the new crossing is underway and will be ongoing for the remainder of the year,” said a Nov. 1 update on the project. “Construction on the foundation close to the New Westminster shoreline is anticipated to start later this year and continue into 2022.”
According to the project team, bridge foundation work involves intermittent pile driving and placement of reinforced steel and concrete. Once the foundations are complete, crews will begin formwork and concrete pours for the tower.
“To expedite bridge foundation construction, and to minimize the amount of in-river work required in 2022, Fraser Crossing Partners plan on undertaking intermittent pile driving on Sundays between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting in November,” said the Nov. 1 update. “This additional day of work allows crews to expedite in-river construction activities when there is the least risk to fish and fish habitat.”
According to Fraser Crossing Partners, intermittent pile driving will occur between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Sundays. No pile driving will be done on holidays.
Nav Dhanoya, the city’s construction impacts coordinator, said Fraser Crossing Partners will be sending out notifications shortly regarding Sunday pile driving, which is starting in mid-November 2021.
“They have added Sundays to their construction schedule in consideration of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) restrictions for the end of January 2022,” Dhanoya said.
While city council considers application for exemptions to New Westminster’s construction noise bylaw for development and other projects, that wasn’t the case with this project.
“The pile driving for the Pattullo Bridge replacement project is a provincial project occurring in the Fraser River outside the city’s authority, and as such an exemption from the city’s construction noise bylaw is not required,” Dhanoya said in an email to the Record. “City staff are in regular contact with the province’s contractor, Fraser Crossing Partners, and have requested that they notify in advance any affected residents and businesses that may be impacted by construction noise occurring outside of the city’s permitted construction hours.”
The project involves the construction of a new $1.377-billion, 330-metre crossing of the Fraser River between New West and Surrey. It will replace the Pattullo Bridge, which was built in 1937.
“It will be a safer and more reliable crossing. It is a four-lane bridge, toll free with improved safety and reliability for drivers, cyclists and walkers, as well as goods movement,” Wendy Itagawa, executive project director, told city council earlier this year. “The key features of the new crossing will include modern lane widths, a centre median barrier that will improve safety and use and travel on this corridor improved, and more direct connections to regional road networks on either side of the bridge, wider walking and cyclist paths on both sides of the bridge deck – separated from traffic by a barrier, and new high-quality walking and cycling paths connecting to the bridge, both within New Westminster and Surrey.”
The new bridge, scheduled to open in 2024, will be located just upstream of the existing Pattullo Bridge. Once the new bridge is open, the existing bridge will be demolished.
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