Golden Ears Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Golden Ears Bridge is a six-lane extradosed bridge
in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia
. It spans the Fraser River
, connecting Langley
on the south side with Pitt Meadows
and Maple Ridge
on the north side. The All Electronic Toll (AET) bridge, owned by TransLink, has a clearance of 40 m (131.2 ft), and a total length of 2410 m (7,906.8 ft) including approaches. The extradosed bridge incorporates three main spans, each 244 m (800.5 ft) long and two shoreline spans, each 122 m (400.3 ft) long for total length of 976 m (3,202.1 ft) which makes it the longest extradosed bridge in North America. Eight pylons are situated in the river, 4 of which are 90 m (295.3 ft) high. The bridge opened to traffic on June 16, 2009. The construction project, officially launched in June 2006, created 14 kilometres of new road and cost 808 million dollars. The Golden Ears Way
has direct connections to the Lougheed Highway, Maple Meadows Way, 113B Avenue, 200th Street, 176th Street (Highway 15
) and the Trans-Canada Highway
(Highway 1).
After the opening of the bridge Translink ceased operation of the Albion Ferry
on July 31, 2009, a passenger/vehicle ferry
that had been operational since June 7, 1957. It employed 59 full-time and 18 auxiliary employees. In 2003, annual traffic amounted to 1.5 million vehicles and 4.0 million passengers.
The Golden Ears Bridge had a fixed total construction cost of $808 million (CAD
) and was constructed by a joint venture of CH2M Hill
and Bilfinger Berger
. The completed bridge opened at 2:00AM on June 16, 2009.
landmark, the Golden Ears
peaks, which crown Mount Blanshard in Golden Ears Provincial Park
. The successful submission to name the bridge was that of George Tabert, a local pastor.
system to track vehicles that cross to recover construction costs. Tolls have not been used in the Lower Mainland
since the 1960s when they were removed from all bridges.
Drivers will have the option of opening a tolling account. This will include an electronic tolling device, or transponder, to be mounted on the vehicle's windshield. It will detect usage of the bridge, allowing toll charges to be automatically billed to the driver's account, streamlining the tolling process.
Vehicles without an electronic tolling device will have their license plates identified through an automated video recognition system, and will be billed accordingly. Drivers of such vehicles will also have the option to pay for their trip in advance by establishing a temporary account with a credit card, and will pay a lower toll rate than if they did not establish such an account.
Extradosed bridge
An extradosed bridge employs a structure that is frequently described as a cross between a girder bridge and a cable-stayed bridge. The name comes from the French word extradossé, which is derived from the word extrados. Extrados is defined as the exterior curve of an arch.This description is...
in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It spans the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
, connecting Langley
Langley, British Columbia (district municipality)
The Township of Langley is a district municipality immediately east of the City of Surrey in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It extends south from the Fraser River to the U.S. border, and west of the City of Abbotsford...
on the south side with Pitt Meadows
Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
Pitt Meadows is a city in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and a member municipality in Metro Vancouver. Incorporated in 1914, it has a land area of 85.38 square kilometers and a population of 17,410 .-Geography:...
and Maple Ridge
Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Maple Ridge is a District Municipality in British Columbia, located in the northeastern section of Metro Vancouver. Maple Ridge has a population of approximately 68,949.-History:...
on the north side. The All Electronic Toll (AET) bridge, owned by TransLink, has a clearance of 40 m (131.2 ft), and a total length of 2410 m (7,906.8 ft) including approaches. The extradosed bridge incorporates three main spans, each 244 m (800.5 ft) long and two shoreline spans, each 122 m (400.3 ft) long for total length of 976 m (3,202.1 ft) which makes it the longest extradosed bridge in North America. Eight pylons are situated in the river, 4 of which are 90 m (295.3 ft) high. The bridge opened to traffic on June 16, 2009. The construction project, officially launched in June 2006, created 14 kilometres of new road and cost 808 million dollars. The Golden Ears Way
Golden Ears Way
Golden Ears Way is a two-to-six lane road in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia. It connects Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows to Langley and Surrey via the Golden Ears Bridge...
has direct connections to the Lougheed Highway, Maple Meadows Way, 113B Avenue, 200th Street, 176th Street (Highway 15
British Columbia Highway 15
Highway 15 , known locally as the Pacific Highway, is a long north–south highway primarily located in the City of Surrey, British Columbia. The southern terminus is with Interstate 5 near Blaine, Washington as Washington State Route 543...
) and the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
(Highway 1).
After the opening of the bridge Translink ceased operation of the Albion Ferry
Albion Ferry
The Albion Ferry, also known as the Fort Langley Ferry, was a free passenger and vehicle ferry service that was sailing across the Fraser River from June 7, 1957 to July 31, 2009...
on July 31, 2009, a passenger/vehicle ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
that had been operational since June 7, 1957. It employed 59 full-time and 18 auxiliary employees. In 2003, annual traffic amounted to 1.5 million vehicles and 4.0 million passengers.
Construction
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
) and was constructed by a joint venture of CH2M Hill
CH2M Hill
CH2M Hill is an American-based global provider of engineering, construction, and operations services for corporations, nonprofits, and federal, state, and local governments. The firm is headquartered in Meridian, an unincorporated area of Douglas County, Colorado in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan...
and Bilfinger Berger
Bilfinger Berger
Bilfinger Berger is a large, internationally active construction and services company based in Mannheim, Germany.-History:Bilfinger Berger dates back to 1880 when August Bernatz founded an engineering business which became known, from 1886 as Bernatz & Grün and, from 1892, as Grün & Bilfinger.In...
. The completed bridge opened at 2:00AM on June 16, 2009.
Naming
The project was named through a community process and reflects the well-known lower Fraser ValleyFraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is the section of the Fraser River basin in southwestern British Columbia downstream of the Fraser Canyon. The term is sometimes used to refer to the Fraser Canyon and stretches upstream from there, but in general British Columbian usage of the term refers to the stretch of the...
landmark, the Golden Ears
Golden Ears (mountain)
Golden Ears is the name of the summit that lies north of Maple Ridge, British Columbia and is visible from most of Metro Vancouver. The mountain is in Golden Ears Provincial Park, and was originally referred to as Golden Eyries, possibly for Golden Eagles that were observed near the summit...
peaks, which crown Mount Blanshard in Golden Ears Provincial Park
Golden Ears Provincial Park
Golden Ears Provincial Park is a Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada at 555.9 km². It is named after the prominent twin peaks which are commonly referred to as Golden Ears...
. The successful submission to name the bridge was that of George Tabert, a local pastor.
2004
- August 6 - Environmental certification was received
- September 15 - TransLink and the Katzie First NationKatzie First NationThe Katzie are an Indigenous people of the Lower Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. The Katzie historically spoke Halqemeylem, the Upriver Dialect of Halkomelem, one of the Coast Salish family of languages. They are part of the Sto:lo group of peoples, historically referred to as the...
signed a Benefit Agreement - November - The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Act was amended to allow for tolling
2005
- January - A Request for Proposals was issued for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and rehabilitation
- February 16 - A bylaw governing tolling was passed by TransLink
- June 22 - TransLink and the four municipalities (LangleyLangley, British Columbia (district municipality)The Township of Langley is a district municipality immediately east of the City of Surrey in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It extends south from the Fraser River to the U.S. border, and west of the City of Abbotsford...
, Maple RidgeMaple Ridge, British ColumbiaMaple Ridge is a District Municipality in British Columbia, located in the northeastern section of Metro Vancouver. Maple Ridge has a population of approximately 68,949.-History:...
, Pitt Meadows and SurreySurrey, British ColumbiaSurrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
) finalized the Golden Ears Bridge Master Municipal Agreement
- December 7 - TransLink selected Golden Crossing Group as the proponent to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the bridge.
2008
- June 20 - 3,600-year-old native site found with evidence of native horticulture. Excavation to end and construction to resume by mid-July.
Tolls
The new bridge uses an electronic tollingElectronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection , an adaptation of military "identification friend or foe" technology, aims to eliminate the delay on toll roads by collecting tolls electronically. It is thus a technological implementation of a road pricing concept...
system to track vehicles that cross to recover construction costs. Tolls have not been used in the Lower Mainland
Lower Mainland
The Lower Mainland is a name commonly applied to the region surrounding and including Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As of 2007, 2,524,113 people live in the region; sixteen of the province's thirty most populous municipalities are located there.While the term Lower Mainland has been...
since the 1960s when they were removed from all bridges.
Drivers will have the option of opening a tolling account. This will include an electronic tolling device, or transponder, to be mounted on the vehicle's windshield. It will detect usage of the bridge, allowing toll charges to be automatically billed to the driver's account, streamlining the tolling process.
Vehicles without an electronic tolling device will have their license plates identified through an automated video recognition system, and will be billed accordingly. Drivers of such vehicles will also have the option to pay for their trip in advance by establishing a temporary account with a credit card, and will pay a lower toll rate than if they did not establish such an account.
Toll Rates
| Type of Vehicle | Toll-Device | Pre-Registered | Unregistered (Pay-as-you-go) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car | $2.90 | $3.45 | $4.10 |
| Truck or bus | $5.85 | $6.40 | $6.95 |
| Large truck | $8.70 | $9.30 | $9.85 |
| Motorcycle | n/a | $1.45 | $2.65 |
External links
- TransLink's Golden Ears Bridge page
- Golden Ears Bridge construction web site
- Golden Ears Bridge, PERI Formwork Solution
- Design/Build management team's project page
- Detailed alignment map (PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
) - Golden Ears Bridge Project at Buckland and Taylor
- GVTA News Release on the naming of the Golden Ears Bridge.