(Video above is of Tom Prendergast, our CEO, and Sheri Plewes, our VP of Planning and Capital Management, making the announcement yesterday at 2pm about the plan to fix the Pattullo Bridge.)

The news this morning is that Cloverdale Fair Grounds is offering 360 Park & Ride spots for those affected by the Pattullo Bridge closure. The temporary parking stalls are provided free of charge at the Cloverdale Fair Grounds (62nd Avenue & Hwy 15) until the Pattullo re-opens.

CMBC, together with the City of Surrey, will also start a temporary express bus service between the Cloverdale Fair Grounds and King George SkyTrain station for the duration of the Pattullo Bridge closure. Regular fares apply (see the fares section of the TransLink website for fare information, including more on the time- and money-saving FareSaver tickets).

Starting at 5:30 am each morning, the express buses will run from Cloverdale to King George every 20 minutes during the morning rush, with the last bus departing the fair grounds at 8:30. During the afternoon rush, the express buses will pick up passengers from King George starting at 3:30pm, with the last bus departing for the Cloverdale Fair Grounds at 6:30pm.

The exact schedule is as follows:

• Start Cloverdale in the AM from 62 Ave.@ 176 St. at the following times: 5:30, 5:50, 6:10, 6:30, 6:50, 7:10, 7:30, 7:50, 8:10, with last westbound bus at 8:30.
• Start King George station in the PM from Bay #3 on E Whalley Ring Road at the following times: 3:30, 3:50, 4:10, 4:30, 4:50, 5:10, 5:30, 5:50,6:10 and last eastbound bus is at 6:30.

If you should miss the last bus to Cloverdale, please turn back to Surrey Central SkyTrain and catch the 320 Langley, which leaves from Surrey Central Bay #2 at 6:50, 7:20 and 7:50 pm.

Updates for the transit system:

SKYTRAIN

• is running every available car to add capacity
• is using “turnback” trains both at Broadway AND at Scott Road, to accommodate additional customers from Surrey

BUSES

• South Surrey Park & Ride is pretty well full – the new Cloverdale Park & Ride described above would be a good alternative.
• #388, which normally goes over the Alex Fraser Bridge to 22nd St. Station in New Westminster, is only going as far as Scott Road Station. Customers can transfer to and from SkyTrain there.
• #340, which also uses the Alex Fraser Bridge, is still using that bridge.

Looking ahead to the afternoon commute, you may want to leave work earlier — or later — than usual.

And as always, thank you to everyone for for your patience and understanding through this. Remember, you can also check out our Customer Alerts page or the Youtube info stream for more info.