The Gateway Program was established by the Province of British Columbia in response to the impact of growing regional congestion, and to improve the movement of people, goods and transit throughout Metro Vancouver. Gateway roads and bridge improvements are designed to complement other regional road and transit improvements already planned or underway. These improvements will help create a comprehensive, effective transportation network that supports improved movement of people and goods, facilitates economic growth, increases transportation choice and provides better connections to designated population growth areas.

The Goals of the Gateway Program are to:

• Address congestion;
• Improve the movement of people and goods in and through the region;
• Improve access to key economic gateways through improved links between ports, industrial areas, railways, the airport and border crossings;
• Improve safety and reliability;
• Improve the region’s road network;
• Improve quality of life in communities by keeping regional traffic on regional roads instead of local streets;
• Reduce vehicle emissions by reducing congestion-related idling;
• Facilitate better connections to buses and SkyTrain, cycling and pedestrian networks; and
• Reduce travel times along and across the Fraser River during peak periods.

Gateway Road and Bridge Projects

The Gateway Program includes three components:

1. The Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement (PMH1) Project includes widening of the highway, construction of a new Port Mann Bridge, upgrading interchanges and improving access and safety on Highway 1 from the McGill Interchange in Vancouver to 216th Street in Langley.
2. The South Fraser Perimeter Road Project is a new four-lane, 80 km/h route along the south side of the Fraser River extending from Deltaport Way in southwest Delta to the Golden Ears Bridge connector road in Surrey/Langley. It will provide a continuous and efficient route to serve the port facilities, rail yards and industrial areas along this key economic corridor, and will also benefit commuters. The project is scheduled for completion in 2013, with the portion between 176 Street and the Pattullo Bridge completed in 2012 to provided the untolled alternative to the Port Mann Bridge.
3. The North Fraser Perimeter Road Project is a proposed set of improvements on existing roads to provide an efficient, continuous route from New Westminster to Maple Ridge. TransLink is responsible for the section through New Westminster, while the Ministry is responsible for the segments from King Edward Avenue (Coquitlam) to Maple Ridge. Proposed upgrades will improve safety and reliability along this key goods movement corridor to better serve these growing communities.

The Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill Interchange is a stand-alone component of the North Fraser Perimeter Road Project, and comprises a new seven-lane bridge to replace the two existing swing bridges across the Pitt River and an interchange to replace the existing Lougheed Highway and the Mary Hill Bypass intersection. The new bridge opened in November 2009 and the project is scheduled to be fully complete in late 2010. This project will help address increasing congestion in growing Northeast Sector communities as well as address future traffic demands forecast to 2031.

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PmH1 Project 

The PMH1 Project was originally intended to be delivered as a public-private partnership (P3) and a comprehensive competitive selection process was established in 2007 to find a partner to design, build, finance and operate the project. The competitive selection process included two stages based on a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and a Request for Proposals (RFP). The Project RFQ resulted in submissions from six respondents. From the respondents, the three most qualified teams that had demonstrated their capability to successfully design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Port Mann/Highway 1 improvements, were invited to submit proposals for delivery of the Project.

On January 28, 2009, the competitive selection process was concluded and the Province entered into an agreement-in-principle with the preferred proponent. Following the agreement-in-principle, several weeks of comprehensive negotiations took place. However, the Province and the preferred proponent were unable to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement and on February 24, 2009, negotiations were concluded. The inability of the parties to reach an agreement reflected the challenging and unprecedented economic and financial market environment at the time.

The competitive selection process was designed to allow for an agreement with individual proponent team member(s) in the event an agreement could not be reached with a proponent. The Province determined that the Design-Build agreement proposed by Kiewit/Flatiron in the preferred proposal provided the best value. On February 27, 2009, the Province announced it would enter into a contract with Kiewit/Flatiron General Partnership, to design and build the new, 10-lane Port Mann Bridge and Highway 1 improvements.

The project will be implemented by Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp.), a provincial Crown Corporation. TI Corp operates under contract with the Province to act as the concessionaire for the PMH1 Project, with Kiewit-Flatiron General Partnership as the design-build constructor.

This structure maintains government oversight while ensuring that tolls collected for the project will go towards paying for the project.

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