BC bridge scene for another fatal crash

The Patullo Bridge, a bridge with a history of fatal accidents that spans the Fraser River and links with New Westminster and Surrey in British Columbia, was recently the scene of a deadly car accident that killed four.The multi-vehicle collision occurred on the south end of the Bridge, which, according to police, will remain closed for “some time.”Approximately 15 people have died in traffic accidents mainly due to head-on crashes on Patullo since 1990. As a result the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority, or TransLink, was called on to build a permanent safety barrier along the four-lane bridge, the width of which falls below Transportation Association of Canada guidelines by almost seven metres. Last February, TransLink approved a $5-million project that would see the installation of a steel-and-concrete centre, safety barrier by the end of 2005. The regional board however, decided to delay the installation. According to Translink spokesman Ken Hardie to date, the work is continuing and the barrier should be in place in about 18 months. “The incident itself took place on the southern approach to the bridge on the King George Highway so because of that, the work that Translink is doing on the centreline barrier wouldn’t have changed the outcome, unfortunately, in this case,” Hardie says.