project description
The Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement Project includes construction of a new 10-lane Port Mann Bridge, widening the highway, upgrading interchanges and improving access and safety on Highway 1. The project spans a distance of approximately 37 kilometres from the McGill Street Interchange in Vancouver to 216th Street in Langley.
Construction began in August 2008 and the new Port Mann Bridge will be operational by December 2012, with the project scheduled to be complete in 2013.
In keeping with the Provincial Transit Plan and commitment to alternative transportation, the project includes congestion-reduction measures such as high occupancy vehicle lanes, transit and commercial vehicle priority measures and improvements to the cycling network. As well, the new bridge will be built to accommodate future light rail transit. The project will also provide for a Highway 1 RapidBus service, a joint initiative of the Province and TransLink, with service between Langley and Burnaby in less than 25 minutes.
About TI Corp
The Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp) is a public crown corporation established by the Province of British Columbia in 2008 under the Transportation Investment Act to deliver and operate the Port Mann/ Highway 1 Improvement Project.
TI Corp’s governance structure is similar to that of other commercial crowns. It has a board of directors to provide for accountability and transparency, as well as sound governance and business principles.
This structure maintains government oversight while ensuring that tolls collected for the project will go towards paying for the project. It also ensures that cost overruns or construction delays will be the responsibility of the design‐build contractor.
To download a copy of TI Corp's 2010/2011 Service Plan, please click here.
To download a copy of Ti Corp’s 2009/2010 Annual Report, please click here.
As a public crown corporation and part of the Provincial Government’s Public Sector Employer’s Council (PSEC), TI Corp operates under PSEC’s best practices for transparent and full disclosure of public sector executive compensation. To download a copy of TI Corp’s 2009/2010 Executive Compensation Report, please click here.
Concession Agreement
TI Corp operates under an agreement with the Province of British Columbia known as the Concession Agreement (CA). The CA puts into place the powers required for TI Corp to implement the project including the ability to enter into long term contractual agreements. The CA specifies project elements for which TI Corp is responsible, including some that are not included in the design-build agreement with Kiewit‐Flatiron General Partnership, the design‐build contractor.
The CA authorizes TI Corp to collect tolls for a period not to exceed 40 years and establishes the maximum toll rates that TI Corp can charge as well as provisions for application of these tolls.
The CA also establishes vehicle classifications to be tolled and the discounts and exemptions that will be permitted. This was developed following an extensive public consultation process undertaken by the province in 2006. During this consultation a majority of participants supported the use of electronic tolling as part of a suite of congestion reduction measures, to pay for the project and manage growth in traffic over time.
The CA specifies four vehicle classifications for tolling - cars, light trucks, heavy trucks and motorcycles. The base toll for cars will be about $3 on opening day, which is anticipated to be December 2012. The toll rate for light trucks will be twice the rate for cars. The rate for heavy trucks will be three times as much and the rate for motorcycles will be half the car rate.
To reduce congestion, a discount of up to 25% will be offered during peak periods for registered carpools with two or more passengers and an overnight discount of up to 50% will be offered for large commercial vehicles.
The tolling system will be designed to be easy to use, keep costs low and provide superior customer service. For payment, users will have a number of options including using an electronic device such as a transponder for automatic payment or paying online after using the bridge. The system will also be designed to be compatible with TransLink’s Golden Ears Bridge.
To download a copy of the Concession Agreement, please click here.
For more information on the tolling framework and pricing, please click here.
