Experts warn switching Massey tunnel to a bridge could waste hundreds of millions

Experts are urging B.C.'s incoming Conservative government to study costs before switching the Massey Tunnel replacement from an eight-lane tunnel under construction to a 10-lane bridge, which the party says would save up to $2.5 billion. The tunnel's latest estimate is $8.5 billion, finishing in 2031. The province reported $580 million spent by June; University of B.C. business professor Werner Antweiler estimates about $700 million now, some of it unrecoverable, and says a switch could delay completion to 2033-35 and could jeopardize Ottawa's $3-billion pledge. Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson says a decision will come quickly after his government's Nov. 20 swearing-in.