Ottawa supports Massey Tunnel bridge in principle, but funding picture unsettled

A press conference in Delta about the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 superport ended up shedding light on a different project: what replaces the George Massey Tunnel.

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon was in Delta on Friday, Oct. 30, to announce national interest status for the port expansion. Asked about the Fraser River crossing, he said Ottawa supports building whatever type the B.C. premier picks, a bridge included, according to Daily Hive's report on the event. That is support in principle. No revised funding agreement or amount has been announced.

The comments matter to anyone who relies on the existing crossing, a four-lane tunnel built in 1959 that restricts dangerous goods shipments and larger commercial vehicles. Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson wants a 10-lane bridge in its place. The BC NDP government had been advancing an eight-lane immersed tunnel.

The Conservative Party of B.C. won the provincial election about a week before MacKinnon spoke. Doerkson said he has already raised the crossing with Prime Minister Mark Carney. "We have committed to a bridge," he said, adding that he understands Ottawa will help.

The money

In July 2026, the federal government announced a contribution of up to $3 billion toward the immersed tunnel. That pledge rested on a revised cost estimate of $8.5 billion, more than double the $4.15-billion figure from about five years earlier. Because a bridge is expected to cost less to build, it is unclear whether it would call for a new federal agreement and a different contribution.

Doerkson's incoming administration says reviving the original bridge concept would save billions. That design was cancelled shortly after John Horgan's BC NDP took office in 2017. The lowest fixed-price bid then was $2.6 billion for the bridge plus Highway 99 corridor upgrades, $900 million under the province's $3.5-billion estimate.

Outgoing Premier David Eby has argued that a switch would disrupt early construction and site preparation already under way. In an Oct. 16 statement, the BC NDP asserted that the federal money would fall through if the Conservatives paused the project. MacKinnon's remarks suggest Ottawa is not tying its support to a particular design.

Where the tunnel project stands

Early work and site preparation have been happening on Deas Island since January 2026. Major construction of the tunnel has not started, and the main contracts have not been awarded.

In June 2026, Eby's government ended its agreement with the private consortium chosen in 2024 to design and build the tunnel, after the two sides could not settle commercial terms. The province relaunched procurement and split the remaining work into five smaller contracts. It expected to pick contractors for the first two packages by early 2027.

Also in June, the province said it expected the environmental assessment review to wrap up by the end of this year.