BC Conservatives pledge 10-lane bridge to replace Massey Tunnel, new hospital in Surrey

Conservative Party of B.C. Leader Lorne Doerkson in a broadcast announced an ambitious infrastructure plan on Thursday, promising to replace the George Massey Tunnel with a 10-lane bridge and deliver two major healthcare facilities in Surrey if elected.

Doerkson outlined a commitment to address severe traffic congestion and healthcare bottlenecks across the region. Under the Conservative platform, the party pledges to replace the aging George Massey Tunnel with a 10-lane span, complete the delayed Surrey Hospital in Cloverdale, and construct a dedicated Women and Children's Hospital in Surrey.

"I mean, your commute should already be shorter by 30 minutes," Doerkson said during the announcement. "Residents in Surrey, Delta, White Rock, Richmond, Vancouver, and across the lower mainland spend hours every day waiting in traffic. Congestion has gotten worse, and it hurts your quality of life, and it harms our community. We cannot afford to not build this bridge."

He said the party's timeline and affordability goals for drivers. "That's why today I am announcing my government will build a 10 lane bridge to replace the George Massey Tunnel. Unlike the NDP, we will get this done on time and on budget," he added.

"Businesses will be able to move their goods more efficiently. Workers will be able to better serve their customers, and you won't be stuck in traffic. And to be clear, a conservative government will not raise ICBC rates, drivers in this province already pay enough," he said.

Doerkson pointed to past delays under the current administration, noting that a previous provincial government had announced a 10-lane replacement over a decade ago before the NDP cancelled the project.

"After nine years of David Eby and the NDP, British Columbia stopped building," Doerkson said. "Families in the Lower Mainland are stuck in traffic every day because the NDP cancelled a bridge that should already be open. My government will build it, on time and on budget."

Turning to healthcare, the Conservatives criticized the NDP's record in fast-growing communities. Despite Surrey's population doubling over the last 25 years, the party noted that residents face worsening doctor shortages, record-high specialist referral wait times, and doubled wait times for surgeries, MRIs, and CT scans.

The new Surrey Hospital in Cloverdale—originally budgeted at $1.7 billion with a projected opening date next year—is now facing delays until 2030 and cost overruns exceeding $1 billion. In response, Doerkson promised a Conservative government would complete the Cloverdale facility on time and budget while establishing a new Women and Children's Hospital in Surrey to spare local families from travelling to Vancouver for specialized pediatric and maternal care.

"David Eby is good at making announcements and very bad at finishing projects," said Doerkson. "A new bridge, a finished hospital in Cloverdale and a new hospital for women and children in Surrey: these are the projects this region has been waiting for. These are serious times, and they call for strong leadership. Let's end the NDP's lost decade and get this province building again."