British ColumbiaThe opening of B.C.’s first Costco Business Centre in New Westminster has renewed long-standing concerns about traffic capacity on the Queensborough Bridge and surrounding arteries. Mayor Patrick Johnstone says the growing B.C. city is outpacing its own infrastructureCBC News · Posted: Nov 23, 2025 7:11 PM EST | Last Updated: 7 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Safety and congestion concerns are brewing in New Westminster. A new Costco, which opened last weekend caused traffic gridlock on major arteries. (Janella Hamilton/CBC)The opening of B.C.’s first Costco Business Centre in New Westminster has renewed long-standing concerns about traffic capacity on the Queensborough Bridge and surrounding arteries, after the store’s opening last weekend caused gridlock that left some drivers stuck for more than an hour.The new 146,000 square-foot facility near Boyd Street and Howes Street in the Queensborough neighbourhood drew large crowds. The company describes the new Costco Business Centre as a business-focused warehouse offering commercial-grade products not available at its regular stores. Since opening weekend, traffic has somewhat eased, says Patrick Johnstone, the city’s mayor. But, he says, the congestion shoppers faced — including backups on the bridge — highlighted deeper infrastructure pressures.“It actually made it hard for people in Queensborough to get around their neighbourhood.”According to Costco, the new Business Centre is the first of its kind in B.C. and is different from regular Costcos. More than 70 per cent of the product offerings are unique to the Business Centre and it’s targeted to meet the needs of all sizes of businesses. (Janella Hamilton/CBC)Johnstone said the city had worked out a traffic management plan for the opening and both Costco staff and New Westminster Police assisted with traffic control on site. But the opening drew far more people than anticipated.“Being car-reliant is a problem for a region growing as fast as this one is. We cannot build roads fast enough.”Kane Tse, president of the Queensborough Residents Association, said residents have voiced their growing concerns about traffic and the new store at community meetings.“People were reporting times of like an hour-and-a-half to get across the bridge,” he said. Kane Tse is the president of the Queensborough Residents Association. (Janella Hamilton/CBC)Tse said the issue goes beyond inconvenience, saying it affects children getting to school, transit reliability, emergency access and everyday commuting. Congestion around the store is likely to increase with holiday shopping, he added.“For many residents, getting across that bridge, whether it’s for our jobs or to school [or] appointments, it’s really constrained,” he said.However, the Queensborough neighbourhood, which sits at a major regional crossroads, was already seeing daily congestion on the Queensborough Bridge and Highway 91A.New Westminster is projected to be the fastest-growing city in Metro Vancouver, with its population expected to reach nearly 143,000 by 2050. Tse said Costco’s arrival has not created the problem but simply exposed its scale.“I think that the problems that have been exacerbated by Costco are not really new problems, it’s really the bridge itself that I think needs more capacity.”The mayor says the city is working with the province to come up with solutions like road improvements, more on and off ramps, and local-only traffic lanes. “We are doing a bit of a follow-up with Costco and we’re going to see how things develop as this initial surge goes away,” Johnstone said, adding that the city will make engineering changes if needed.But any work around the Queensborough Bridge requires provincial approval, he noted.New Westminster residents living on both sides of the Queensborough Bridge say traffic gridlock and lengthy delays have long been a problem. (Janella Hamilton/CBC)In a statement, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit said it’s aware of the congestion.It noted that the establishment of the Costco Business Centre along with its traffic plan “was initiated and approved by the City of New Westminster independent of input from the ministry.”The ministry said its traffic engineers are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with the city and Costco to “fine-tune” traffic management plans and assess further mitigation options.It added that it recognizes the complex mix of industrial and residential growth in the area, and will work with the city on future development impacts.The traffic problem in New Westminster echoes concerns in South Surrey, where residents are opposing a new Costco warehouse location, which is set to open in 2027, over worries that the facility will bring a heavy traffic to a largely residential neighbourhood.With files from Janella Hamilton
New Costco reignites concerns over traffic congestion on New Westminsters busy roads
