Riverview Bridge Northbound Closure Lands on Moving Weekend: How to Plan a Surrey or New Westminster Move
If you are moving between Surrey and New Westminster at the end of October, check your route now. Both northbound lanes of the stal̕əw̓asəm (Riverview) Bridge, the crossing that replaced the Pattullo Bridge, are scheduled to close from 9 p.m. on Friday, October 30 until 5 a.m. on Monday, November 2. That window covers Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, the end-of-month weekend when many BC tenancies end and new ones begin.
Here is what has been announced, why the timing matters, and how to plan a move or delivery around it.
What the project has announced
The closure was first scheduled for October 23 to 26. On October 23, the Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project postponed it by one week because of the weather forecast. According to the project's notices:
- Both northbound lanes (Surrey toward New Westminster) will be closed from Friday, October 30 at 9 p.m. until Monday, November 2 at 5 a.m. so crews can finish the final layer of paving on the new south approach.
- One southbound lane will also be closed, so trips from New Westminster into Surrey stay open but may be slower.
- Northbound drivers are told to use the Port Mann Bridge (Highway 1) or the Alex Fraser Bridge (Highway 91). Northbound N19 NightBus trips will be rerouted over the Queensborough and Alex Fraser bridges.
- Work runs 24 hours a day and is weather dependent, so the dates could move again.
- Today, Saturday, October 24, one northbound lane is closed from about 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for barrier work ahead of the paving.
Two more items in the same area are worth knowing about:
- Bridge Road and Old Yale Road, Surrey: starting Thursday, October 29, the intersection area closes overnight (7 p.m. to about 6 a.m.) for roughly two nights of milling and paving. Eastbound traffic is detoured via Timberland Drive, Tannery Road and 120 Street; westbound traffic via Highway 17 to Tannery Road and Timberland Drive.
- Front Street Truck Route, New Westminster: closed between Begbie Street and East Columbia Street for about four months from August 31 while a retaining wall is built. During the closure, trucks must use official truck routes, which exclude Columbia Street at all hours and Royal Avenue after 9 p.m. The project expects another Front Street closure in spring 2027 for bridge removal over the street and rail lines.
Why this weekend is a bad one to lose a bridge
Under BC's Residential Tenancy Act, a tenant ending a month-to-month tenancy gives notice effective the day before rent is due. With rent due on the 1st, that usually means the last day of the month. The Act also says that, unless the landlord and tenant agree otherwise, the tenant must be out by 1 p.m. on the day the tenancy ends.
This year the last day of October is a Saturday. So a renter leaving a Surrey apartment on October 31 to move into a New Westminster or Burnaby unit faces a hard 1 p.m. move-out deadline on the same day the most direct northbound crossing is shut. Add a strata elevator booked for a fixed time slot, and November 1 move-ins on Sunday, and small delays can add up quickly.
The moves most likely to feel it:
- Surrey, Delta or Langley to New Westminster, Burnaby, Coquitlam or Vancouver, where the bridge would normally be the shortest route.
- Moves that start in North Surrey near King George Boulevard or the Highway 17 interchange.
- Retail and same-day deliveries heading north from Surrey and the Fraser Valley over the weekend, especially furniture and other bulky orders booked into tight delivery windows.
Southbound moves from New Westminster into Surrey stay possible, but with one lane closed and northbound traffic shifting to other crossings, expect the whole area to be busier than usual.
How to plan a move around the closure
1. Confirm the dates on Thursday or Friday. The closure has already been moved once because of weather. Check the project's Current Works page and DriveBC before moving day, and again that morning.
2. Tell your movers your actual addresses early. A crew planning a Surrey to New Westminster job will want to choose between the Port Mann and Alex Fraser routes ahead of time, based on where each end of the move is. Include building details such as loading bays, elevator times and parking, which matter more when the travel time is uncertain.
3. Move your deadlines, not just your route. If you can, ask your landlord in writing for a later move-out time on October 31, or arrange to move part of your belongings on Friday, October 30, before the closure starts at 9 p.m. If you are moving into a strata building, ask whether your elevator booking can start later or be extended.
4. Separate the two ends of the move if you need to. If you hold keys at both places for a day or two, you can load on Saturday morning to meet the 1 p.m. deadline and unload on Sunday or Monday. That takes pressure off a single long day across a detour.
5. Pack the essentials box first. If traffic delays the truck, you will want your keys, documents, chargers, medication and a change of clothes with you in the car, not in the back of the truck. Our kitchen packing guide also covers how to keep everyday items easy to reach on moving day.
6. Check your building's own rules. Elevator bookings and move fees are set by each strata, not the bridge project. Our guide to strata move-in and move-out fees in BC explains what to look for in the bylaws.
What retailers and businesses should do
If you have deliveries booked for October 31 or November 1 from a Surrey or Fraser Valley warehouse into New Westminster, Burnaby or Vancouver, look at them now:
- Re-sequence routes so northbound stops are grouped and run via one crossing, rather than criss-crossing the river.
- Widen customer delivery windows for that weekend, or move some stops to Friday before 9 p.m. or to Monday.
- Warn customers in condos and stratas that the window may shift, so they can adjust elevator bookings.
- Plan for the Front Street truck detour through the end of the year if your trucks serve downtown New Westminster.
Our holiday peak season delivery planning guide covers how to set realistic delivery promises before the November rush.
Our take: the bridge project is not finished yet
The new bridge opened all four lanes on February 14, 2026, and the old Pattullo Bridge's steel arch was lowered onto barges over the October 9 to 11 weekend. It is easy to assume the disruption is over. It is not. The province said removing the old bridge would take about two years, and the project has been posting a steady run of overnight, weekend and lane closures for paving, ramps and multi-use paths since the summer. CBC reported that full demolition is expected to take until the end of 2027, and the project already expects another Front Street Truck Route closure in spring 2027.
For anyone who moves goods between Surrey and New Westminster regularly, the practical lesson is to treat this crossing as a route that can change on short notice through 2027. Signing up for the project's notices takes a minute, and checking it before any big move or delivery day is cheaper than a crew stuck in a detour.
Need help with a move or delivery that weekend?
In & Out Express handles home moving with two movers and a 26 ft truck, as well as commercial delivery and same-day delivery across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, including Surrey and New Westminster. Call 778-939-4234 or send us your move details and we will tell you what is possible for your date.
Sources: Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project, UPDATE: Northbound weekend closure on the stal̕əw̓asəm (Riverview) Bridge postponed (October 23, 2026); Northbound weekend closure on the stal̕əw̓asəm (Riverview) Bridge (October 16, 2026); Overnight closures of Bridge Road and Old Yale Road intersection (October 22, 2026); Four-month closure of Front Street Truck Route (August 14, 2026); Current Works; BC Gov News, New stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge fully open as Pattullo Bridge demolition begins; CBC News, Pattullo Bridge arches to be removed over Thanksgiving long weekend (October 11, 2026); BC Residential Tenancy Act, ss. 37(1) and 45(1); DriveBC.
