Major upgrades to busy Queensborough Bridge will close lanes until 2027

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/queensborough-bridge-upgrades-lane-closures-new-westminster-richmond 

When the Queensborough_Bridge opened in 1960, there wasn't any serious consideration for future capacity. The QB should have had 2 wide shoulders and 2 wide emergency lanes. Then, by the 1980s 2 bus lanes could have been opened. Then, by around 2000 the QB could have had 3 lanes each way, plus 1 bus lane each way.

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/04/02/construction-to-close-queensborough-bridge-lanes-overnight-until-2027

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation-projects/other-transportation-projects/queensboroughbridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensborough_Bridge Unfortunatly in 2026, the QB remains as a 4 lane funnel. Just 2 lanes each way as its another classic BC bottleneck-chokepoint, by design. There is enough space east of the bridge for a new northbound bridge to be built. 

New_Westminster has always been a small city, because it never absorbed what would become the Tri-Cities. Thus, a narrow QB fits in with such a little provincial backwater. However, as part of the BC Lower_Mainland its part of a region with over 3 million people. This puts NW in the position of being a regional hub city. 

https://604now.com/queensborough-bridge-upgrades-richmond-new-westminster-2026-2027/

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/queensborough-bridge-upgrades-new-westminster-richmond

https://www.patrickjohnstone.ca/2013/07/alas-queensborough-bridge-works.html

http://archives.newwestcity.ca/permalink/24422 , http://archives.newwestcity.ca/permalink/99415/  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensborough,_New_Westminster , https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/rte/122554-QB.PDF

Bike+bridges aren't a problem in many Australian cities and around the world. However, as usual, its more difficult to get such things done in backwards BC.

https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/Q2Q_Bridge_Brochure_2015_02_02.pdf  

https://www.patrickjohnstone.ca/2013/07/connecting-qb-to-quay.html There should have been a proper bike and foot bridge between Queensborough and downtown NW, decades ago. 

https://www.newwestcity.ca/planning-building-and-development/projects-on-the-go/articles/3475.php

 https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Queensborough+Bridge

New Westminster 2 weeks after water main break

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/03/03/new-westminster-mayor-water-main-break-next-steps/

Even a small city like NW can have big problems.

https://www.newwestrecord.ca/local-news/cause-of-ruptured-water-main-in-new-west-is-still-unknown-10258948

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/02/21/new-westminster-water-main-break-problems-residents/

former bc-penitentiary-in new-westminster

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-penitentiary-new-westminster-prison-historical-photos

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-penitentiary-buildings-new-westminster

brewery-district-268-nelsons-court-new-westminster

http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/brewery-district-268-nelsons-court-new-westminster


http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/811-carnarvon-street-new-westminster

nw

New Westminster City Council balks at high-rise density plan

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/lower-twelfth-street-area-study-update-new-westminster-rejection

Given the limited industrial areas within the Greater Vancouver Region, there should be a balance between residential & industrial. 

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/columbia-square-new-westminster-edgar-development-plan-approved

However, some parts of NW need more taller towers in order to have much grater urban density.

https://www.newwestcity.ca/transportation/transportation-planning

https://www.newwestcity.ca/planning-building-and-development/roadworks

https://www.newwestcity.ca/transportation/trucks

https://www.newwestcity.ca/railways

https://www.newwestcity.ca/qtoqferry

Old Pattullo Bridge and its Still Narrow Replacement

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_mNfn4zjcI 

Even in the 1930s there should have been some type of a big city vision, but with NW being so small and Surrey being so out of the way, this part of BC was on the urban periphery. Apparently, there was no concept of an emergency lane on the Pattullo Bridge. Still, in addition to the 2 narrow lanes each way, there should have been 2 lane for horses and wagons. Then, by the 1950s the PB could have had 3 wide lanes each way, pulse a strong traffic divider. Instead, the narrow PB was stuck with only two lanes each way, no safety divider and only 1 narrow sidewalk.

For most of its history, NW just saw it self as a provincial backwater. The lack of a big city vision in the early 1900s meant that it never bothered to absorb what would become the Tri-Cities. For most of its history, Surrey never considered that it could eventually become the largest city in BC. Of course now that has changed.

Despite being so small, NW has become a Metro Vancouver regional transit hub, because of the New_Westminster_station. 

Scott_Road_station is a transit hub for the South_Westminster area.

Surrey and NW really should have had a proper big city size bridge.

This is how the new road configuration could have gone for what should have been a 10 lane bridge, not another 4 lane BC joke. Even if it can eventually have 6 lanes, there is no provision for a lower deck for trains and busses.

This shows how existing key roads could have linked into a 10 lane bridge, all without having to widen the surrounding roads. Thus, no need for any major land expropriation.

2 lanes from Royal Avenue onto the new bridge and 2 lanes from the bridge onto Royal Avenue in New+Westminster.   

One lane onto and one lane off linking the bridge to the South_Fraser_Perimeter_Road in Surrey.

2 lanes onto McBride boulevard and 2 lanes onto the bridge from McBride in New+Westminster.  

From Columbia_Street_in New_Westminster, 1 lane onto the bridge, as well as 1 lane off the bridge. 

2 lanes from King_George_Boulevard onto the new bridge and 2 lanes from the bridge onto KGB in Surrey. 

2 lanes from Scott Road onto the new bridge and 2 lanes from the bridge onto Scott_Rd in Surrey.  

Things weren't properly explained to the public as to how important a wide big city bridge could have been possible and without having to widen the roads connecting to it.

Unfortunately, all of this is being funneled into just 2 lanes each way. Its as if someone symbolically wanted the new bridge to open without any bus and HOV lanes. That's how BC bottleneck and chokepoint planning works. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Vancouver_Regional_District  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_Valley

Some day, the BC Lower_Mainland should be planned and developed to function more like a proper big urban area. 

new-westminster-new-housing-demand-young-people

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/new-westminster-new-housing-demand-young-people

Proposed rental housing tower prevents potential future Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station expansion

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/2516-commercial-drive-1704-east-broadway-vancouver-rental-housing-tower

The city and the transit company should be working with the developer so that the new building has enough structural clearance for a future west train platform. With mutual cooperation, the developer should be allowed to add a few more floors to their tower. 

In the case of the Main_Street-Science_World_station, the VanCity Centre was built at and over the west side of the station. 

https://www.mcmparchitects.com/projects/vancity-centre Aside from the building not even reaching 20 floors, its a fine example of being built over the train structure.

https://sfuurban.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/main-street-skytrain-station-the-history-part-1 

https://www.translink.ca/about-us/doing-business-with-translink/real-estate  

https://fcr.ca/properties/british-columbia/vancouver/new-westminster/shops-at-new-west

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Westminster_station , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shops_at_New_West , https://www.shopsatnewwest.com 

https://www.loopnet.ca/Listing/800-Carnarvon-St-New-Westminster-BC/29986774/

NW buildings and towers

https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/images/Waterfront_aerial_cropped.png-

https://www.newwestcity.ca/waterfront-vision

Backwater NW ever so slowly & reluctantly, is being compelled to realize that it's part of an urban region with over a few million people.

http://bosaproperties.com/riversky/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/RS2_home_mainImg.jpg

https://www.newwestcity.ca/waterfront-vision/articles/3946.php

http://www.canada.com/business/commercial-real-estate/bosa+plans+major+project+westminster/12084645/story.html

https://www.google.ca/search?q=660+quayside+drive+new+westminster

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/69/72/b3/arial-of-fraser-river.jpg

https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/Waterfront_Vision_info_booklet_2016_web.pdf  

City of New Westminster beats legislated housing target by nearly two times

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/new-westminster-housing-supply-target-year-1-achieved

Despite its tiny size, NW should continue on being a central hub city.

BC Parkway in New Westminster

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-parkway-new-westminster-upgrade-translink

Front Street in New Westminster will be closed for the entire weekend

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/new-westminster-street-closed-weekend

A Fraser River boat tour takes you under five existing and future Metro Vancouver bridges

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/paddlewheeler-riverboat-tours-mv-native-new-westminster-fraser-river-cruises Unfortunatly, most bridges in BC are built to conform to a narrow-minded standard.

Had there been a proper urban vision between NW & Surrey 50-100 years ago, there would have been a lot more bridges by now. It seems that NW just wanted to be a provincial backwater. Eventually, Surrey kept growing & now its planning to become the largest city in BC. Back in the day, just like little NW, Surrey never saw it self as ever becoming a major river city like Portland, Calgary, Edmonton or Winnipeg. 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:New_Westminster 

By the late 1800s and especially by 1910, Portland really started to see itself as a major river city. Just look at how many more bridges there are than what's in between NW & Surrey. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Portland,_Oregon#Bridges

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crossings_of_the_Willamette_River Most of these bridges aren't freeway or expressway crossings. They are just for general street access.

There should have been something like the Tilikum_Crossing between NW and Surrey by now. There also should have been something like a Tilikum_Crossing between Vancouver and Richmond. 

Fortunately, the backwater BC mentality never made it down to Oregon.

https://www.travelportland.com/attractions/portland-bridges

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bridges_in_Portland,_Oregon

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=NW 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=New+Westminster

skytrain-22nd-street-station-transit-oriented-development-new-westminster

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-22nd-street-station-transit-oriented-development-new-westminster

columbia-square-plaza-redevelopment-88-10th-street-new-westminster

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/columbia-square-plaza-redevelopment-88-10th-street-new-westminster

808-royal-avenue-new-westminster-douglas-college-expansion

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/808-royal-avenue-new-westminster-douglas-college-expansion

columbia-square-in new-westminster-development-plan-approved

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/columbia-square-new-westminster-edgar-development-plan-approved

Of course the Skytrain stations weren't designed to eventually accommodate 10-12 car trains. NW like backwards Vancouver, refuses to build proper bus and truck bridges. Apparently, it's better to funnel the trucks and busses into a 2 lane each way bottleneck. 

530-columbia-street-new-westminster-marriott-hotel-tower-redevelopment

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/columbia-theatre-530-columbia-street-new-westminster-marriott-hotel-tower-redevelopment

NW has to stop pretending that it's just another backwater & realize that its part of an urban region with over a few million people.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/new-westminster-front-street-closure-summer-2020

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/new-westminster-front-street-closure-summer-2020

New-westminster-skytrain-station-emergency

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/new-westminster-skytrain-station-emergency