Hey, you’re invited to celebrate the opening of the Golden Ears Bridge in June!

The bridge should be completed by early summer, and while the official opening date for traffic isn’t yet set, a public celebration will be held on Sunday, June 14.

It’s going to take place on the new Golden Ears Bridge deck, and it will be a pedestrian-only event. The celebration will feature entertainment and activities for the whole family.

TransLink’s new bridge and 13-kilometre road network will provide a quick, easy and convenient link from Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge to Langley, Surrey and beyond.

Here’s a few comments from TransLink executives on the celebration, from our press release:

“This is an exciting opportunity for people to get a close up look at the bridge and to experience the magnificent view from the bridge deck,” says TransLink CEO Tom Prendergast. “For the first time ever, the people living in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Surrey and Langley will be able to connect easily to friends, families and opportunities on the other side of the river.”

“We want to invite the region to share in this historic event,” says Fred Cummings, TransLink vice-president of major construction projects. “The opening celebration is an opportunity to thank the communities for their support and commitment to the new crossing and to honour the bridge workers whose skill and dedication created the bridge.”

The Golden Ears Bridge uses QuickPass, the first electronically tolled system in western Canada, and will allow drivers to cross the bridge and pay the toll without stopping or slowing down. Find out more about QuickPass in this October 2008 Buzzer blog post on the subject.

And for more information on the project, please feel free to visit TransLink’s Golden Ears Bridge website, or the Golden Ears Bridge construction website.