Dear Editor,

We're tremendously proud of the new Port Mann Bridge, so it's important to correct a few points in Mary Daube's letter [Money is tolls' sole objective, Jan. 29 Letters, Langley Advance].

The Port Mann Bridge is a public asset, and as such, it's managed by Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp), a public crown corporation established by the province of B.C. TI Corp manages the Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement Project and TReO, the toll system on the new Port Mann Bridge.

Though conceived as a public private partnership, the Port Mann project is delivered under a design build agreement, keeping the bridge and all associated improvements as assets of the people of B.C. That means tolls do not produce a profit.

Tolls do pay for the cost of the project, and will be in place until the project is paid for, expected to take until 2050.

Since the new bridge opened to eight lanes on Dec. 1, TI Corp has been achieving its goals of reducing congestion and travel times, facilitating expanded transit service, and expanding infrastructure for high occupancy vehicles.

Twenty-five per cent HOV discounts are available from 6: 30 a.m. to 8: 30 a.m., and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. We understand these times won't accommodate all drivers' schedules, however these are the periods of peak volume on the Port Mann Bridge, when most drivers will benefit.

Mary Polak, Langley MLA and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure

[Note: A fuller version of this letter is online at www.langleyadvance.com. Click on Opinion, or search the writer's name.]