B.C. Conservatives pledge to scrap tunnel, build Massey bridge if elected

VANCOUVER — The B.C. Conservative Party says it will replace the George Massey Tunnel with a new 10-lane bridge, scrapping the NDP's $8.5-billion tunnel replacement project if it wins the provincial election.

Leader Lorne Doerkson announced the plan Thursday, calling the NDP's eight-lane tunnel a "boondoggle" that has stalled repeatedly and hurt the economy.

"Families in the Lower Mainland are stuck in traffic every day because the NDP cancelled a bridge that should already be open," Doerkson said in a news release. "My government will build it, on time and on budget."

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The party did not provide a cost estimate for its bridge proposal, saying details would come later in its platform.

NDP Leader David Eby dismissed the idea as "lunacy," noting early construction is already underway on the tunnel site with about 200 workers.

"You drive past, you can see the big metal structures going up. That’s the tunnel construction that’s underway," Eby said at a press conference in Surrey. "Now here we have the Conservative leader again. No plan. He’s going to cancel that, send all those workers home."

Eby said scrapping the tunnel would put a $3 billion funding commitment from the federal government at risk and cause years of further delay for a new environmental assessment and procurement process.

The Conservative announcement came a day after the party highlighted a leaked memo suggesting the 2026 provincial budget hid a $4 billion cost overrun for the tunnel.

The NDP government acknowledged earlier this year that the project's cost had reached $8.5 billion, more than double the original 2021 estimate of $4.15 billion.

"For over six months, David Eby lied to MLAs, journalists, and all British Columbians about the skyrocketing costs of his tunnel project," said Trevor Halford, the Conservative candidate for Surrey-White Rock.

Eby's party said the delayed cost update was due to commercial sensitivities during contract negotiations.

One of the unions representing workers on the project called Doerkson's plan "reckless and wasteful."

"If Doerkson is serious about this, he’s showing a fundamental lack of understanding on the procurement and construction of major infrastructure," said Bryan Railton, business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115.

Delta Mayor George Harvie said he would support a bridge as long as construction moves quickly.

"I’ve stated many times that as mayor of Delta I’m agnostic to whatever the solution is, whether it’s a tunnel or a bridge," said Harvie. "I’m just saying, ‘For god’s sake, get something done.'"

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who is not running for re-election, said he believes the tunnel is now the quickest solution after "inordinate delays."

The former B.C. Liberal government announced a plan for a 10-lane bridge in 2017, but it was scrapped when the NDP under John Horgan came to power.

This summer, Eby's government cancelled contracts for early works on the tunnel, further delaying the expected completion date to 2031.

The Conservative party also pledged Thursday to build a new women and children's hospital in Surrey, while committing to complete the already-underway Cloverdale hospital and cancer centre "on time and on budget."

With files from Vancouver Sun and CBC News