---
title: "Conservative MLA says George Massey Bridge would cost $5 billion less than the NDP tunnel"
description: "Delta-South MLA Ian Paton says the incoming Conservative government will replace the NDP's $8.5-billion tunnel with a 10-lane bridge, which he says would be done in five years for $5 billion less."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/ian-paton-massey-bridge-post-election-october-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-30T21:37:57.020Z"
---

Delta-South MLA [Ian Paton](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/ian-paton) told CityNews Vancouver on 30 October 2026 that the incoming Conservative government plans to scrap the BC NDP's $8.5-billion eight-lane tunnel and replace it with a 10-lane George Massey Bridge. Paton said the bridge would cost $5 billion less and be finished in five years.

"The math says that it would be $5 billion cheaper to go back to building the bridge, and the bridge will be completed sooner than the tunnel could ever be completed," Paton told CityNews. His $5-billion figure is his own claim; he did not cite an independent study.

Paton told CityNews that a completed environmental assessment from the earlier bridge proposal, done before the NDP government switched to a tunnel plan, is already in place. He said the bridge would follow Highway 99 on both sides of the river, running over the existing Massey Tunnel. He said he was confident the project would attract federal funding, without citing a specific commitment.

The Conservative Party's platform, on page 57, commits to building the bridge within the $8.5 billion already allocated for the crossing. It also promises to publish the bridge's budget and schedule before construction begins, and to ask the federal government to apply its announced contribution of up to $3 billion to the bridge. Read the platform promises at [/bc/provincial-2026/tracker#gov-promise-george-massey-bridge](/bc/provincial-2026/tracker#gov-promise-george-massey-bridge).

## Workers on site

Bryan Railton of the International Union of Operating Engineers told CityNews that 200 workers currently on the tunnel construction site would lose their jobs immediately if the project is cancelled.

"There isn't a bridge sitting in our back pocket, so when a tunnel gets cancelled, or if it gets cancelled, those workers will be out of work the next day," Railton told CityNews.

Paton said the government would revisit the 2017 bridge plans to allow the new project to begin.

Delta mayor-elect Melissa Granum told CityNews she would support a bridge if the Conservatives make their case. "The decision of bridge-versus-tunnel, I would be a bridge supporter," she said. Granum was elected in the October 17 municipal election and has not yet been sworn in.

People who use the Massey Tunnel corridor between Delta and Richmond can follow the government's next announcement about the crossing, including its commitment to publish a budget and schedule before building starts, through [Ian Paton's candidate page](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/ian-paton) and the [Delta-South district page](/bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/delta-south).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.