Ottawa names Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's Roberts Bank terminal a national-interest project

Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon went to Delta on Friday, Oct. 30, to announce that a proposed three-berth container terminal at Roberts Bank, to be built on 168 hectares of new industrial land, now carries national interest status.

Roberts Bank Terminal 2, known as RBT2, is the second project in the country to receive the label. Pacific Link was designated on Oct. 1. The terminal would be led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and is expected to add 2.4 million containers of annual capacity at the port.

For people in Delta and across Metro Vancouver, the announcement carries two numbers: a construction estimate that has climbed sharply, and a projection of what shipping delays could cost. It also arrived a week after a provincial election that has reopened the question of how to replace the George Massey Tunnel, which MacKinnon was asked about during the same visit.

A construction estimate up by $2.4 billion

The estimated construction cost of RBT2 is now $5.9 billion, not counting interest costs from borrowing. About five years earlier, the estimate stood at $3.5 billion. The difference is $2.4 billion, an increase of roughly 69 per cent.

The terminal would occupy 168 hectares of new industrial land at Roberts Bank, rather than being fitted into existing port property.

MacKinnon made the economic argument for the expansion in terms of what happens if it does not go ahead. He said that without the added capacity, port congestion could drive shipping costs to more than $800 million a year by 2035.

The crossing question put to the minister

Asked about the Fraser River crossing, MacKinnon said Ottawa supports whatever type the B.C. premier chooses, including a bridge. No revised funding agreement or amount for the Massey crossing has been announced.

The existing Massey Tunnel is a four-lane tunnel built in 1959. It restricts shipments of dangerous goods and larger commercial vehicles.

An eight-lane tunnel, a 10-lane bridge and a federal pledge

The BC NDP government had been advancing an eight-lane immersed tunnel as the replacement. In July 2026, the federal government announced up to $3 billion toward that tunnel. The pledge rested on a revised tunnel cost estimate of $8.5 billion. Major construction has not started, and the main contracts have not been awarded.

The Conservative Party of B.C. won the provincial election about a week before MacKinnon spoke. Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson wants a 10-lane bridge instead of the tunnel. Doerkson has said he understands Ottawa will help with a bridge.

MacKinnon's answer on Friday fits with that understanding, but it did not come with a dollar figure. The only federal amount announced for the crossing is the July commitment of up to $3 billion, which was tied to the immersed tunnel and its $8.5-billion estimate.