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For the first time in a decade, there’s money on the table from the federal and provincial government and talk of a slowdown at this point in the game, at a time when the region is struggling with affordability and congestion, “borders on nonsense,” Hepner said.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who was defeated by Corrigan in a secret vote after a three-year tenure as council chair, said now is not the time to delay urgently-needed projects, given there is more than $2 billion on the table from Ottawa.

“It’s a false choice to say it’s either Pattullo Bridge or rapid transit,” said Robertson in a statement. “All three of these key projects need to happen ASAP and TransLink has spent years preparing to deliver them at the same time. This is the year to get funding confirmed and shovels in the ground.”

The 10-year-plan, which mayors approved in 2014 with Corrigan as the sole dissenting vote, includes a new four-lane Pattullo Bridge by 2023; an extension of the Millennium Line along Broadway to Arbutus Street; and rapid transit in Surrey and Langley.

In an interview with Postmedia News on the weekend, Corrigan suggested it wasn’t possible to embark on the projects at the same time.

“I don’t know if there is any organization across Canada capable of doing three major projects like that simultaneously and doing them well,” he said.

When asked whether the Broadway subway and Surrey LRT should be delayed until after the Pattullo Bridge is replaced, he said: “I’m not sure — I’m going to be talking to the provincial government about that.”