The George Massey Tunnel replacement project will cost $8.5 billion, the provincial government says on Monday.
This price tag is more than double what was previously expected the project would cost.
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The federal government already confirmed earlier this month that it will contribute $3 billion in capital costs.
During a press conference, Mike Farnworth, Minister of Transportation and Transit, told reporters the new price tag reflects market conditions, inflation, and the most recent information on project scope.
He adds the tunnel’s expected completion is September 2031.
Construction of the Fraser River Tunnel Project is scheduled to begin in 2027.
The ministry says it is on track with the project as it has posted the requests for qualifications so companies can apply for building the tunnel.
“The requests for proposals are expected to be issued in early August 2026, with successful companies selected by early 2027,” the ministry said in a written statement.
However, the new timeline pushes the project by about a year; it was originally planned to open by December 2030.
Farnworth adds that it is “one of the most important nation-building transportation projects in British Columbia’s – and Canada’s – history.”
The announcement comes just weeks after the NDP government fired the design-build consortium Cross Fraser Partnership over “commercial terms”.
The termination of the contract caused outrage among civic politicians, especially in Delta.
There, officials have been criticizing the province on the slow pace of the project and are not happy with the increased price tag, either.
“Just an incredible indictment on what has been the most mismanaged project in the 21st century here in B.C.,” said Delta Coun. Dylan Kruger.
“Double the cost of the 2021 budget, triple the cost of the now cancelled bridge project. Billions of dollars that should be going towards hospitals, long-term care centres, and schools.”
Meanwhile, Mayor George Harvey is ringing the alarm bells regarding safety concerns, calling concerns raised by the previous contractor about building a new tunnel next to the existing crossing very serious.
Despite pursuing a “revised procurement strategy,” the province states in Monday’s statement that “no work has been lost.”
“The tunnel’s design will remain unchanged, including the anticipated tunnel depth, the length of ramps and the location, from the concept designed in 2023.”
As part of the Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, which includes multiple major infrastructure projects in the province, Ottawa assured that it will contribute $3 billion to the costs of the tunnel project.
In a written statement, the BC Conservatives criticize the NDP for having “botched” the project and the federal government for “rewarding NDP incompetence.”
They argue that the $3 billion in federal funding was once expected to pay for the entire replacement crossing.
“This is one of the most stunning displays of government incompetence I have ever seen, and it is inconceivable that David Eby and Mark Carney are trying to spin this as a win,” said Misty Van Popta, the Conservatives’ critic for infrastructure.
She refers to the original plan to replace the tunnel with a bridge, which goes back to 2017 but was then cut by then-Premier John Horgan.
