The B.C. government’s move to replace the George Massey Tunnel with the biggest bridge in the province will not likely open the lower part of the Fraser River to more tanker traffic.
Environmentalists have long feared the province was undertaking the massive upgrade to one of Metro Vancouver’s main commuter arteries in part to create more export opportunities for liquified natural gas, which has been a major priority for the current provincial Liberal government.
However, the Fraser River is too slim and the new bridge will be too low for any of the largest tankers that travel to export markets in East Asia, according to Werner Antweiler, an economics professor at the University of British Columbia.
MIKE HAGER – Globe and Mail – Dec. 17, 2015.