Port Mann Bridge will open 1 year early: Campbell

The new Port Mann Bridge will open a year earlier than expected, B.C. Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell announced during a campaign stop in Surrey Friday morning.

The contractor had recently moved forward the expected completion date, Campbell told workers at the bridge construction site on the south bank of the Fraser River east of Vancouver.

"Kiewet has come back and told us they expect the bridge to be built and completed, not in 2013 as we had anticipated, but in December 2012," he said.

The new bridge will replace the existing 45-year-old Port Mann Bridge connecting Coquitlam and Surrey across the Fraser River, a link that is part of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Campbell, who is running for his third term as premier in the upcoming May 12 provincial election, made the announcement during one of several stops around Metro Vancouver on Friday morning that focused on recent transportation infrastructure projects.

He also announced the new Pitt River Bridge will open to traffic in the fall ahead of its original launch target of next spring.

In February, Campbell announced that the $3.3-billion price tag for the 10-lane bridge, which includes related highway upgrades and long-term financing costs, will be funded by tolls.