A key link between Surrey and the rest of Greater Vancouver, the Pattullo Bridge handles an average of 75,700 cars and 3840 trucks daily, or roughly 20% of vehicle traffic across the Fraser River as of 2013.

The bridge has a line of plastic pillars for its central median, installed by TransLink to raise the visibility of the centre-lane divider.

However, the lack of a concrete median barrier makes the causeway highly prone to head-on collisions, especially at excessive speed or in bad weather.

However, traffic analysis showed that significant congestion would result in Surrey and New Westminster, and the idea was abandoned.

[3] The first regular crossing of the Fraser River started in 1882, and was operated by a steam ferry named K de K, which transported residents and livestock from Brownsville to New Westminster.

[4] During the late 1890s, the need for a new bridge became apparent after the existing ferry was deemed insufficient to handle future traffic demands.

The 60-foot (18 m)-long wooden trestle on the south side of the bridge connecting the steel and concrete structure to the earthen berm sustained damage, and had to be completely rebuilt.

[14] On January 3, 2020, the government of British Columbia contracted Fraser Crossing Partners–a joint partnership between Acciona Infrastructure Canada and Aecon Group–to design and construct the replacement bridge.