SURREY (NEWS1130) – The Port Mann Bridge is open today, but inspectors will need to do an assessment after ice chunks fell from the cables and onto the vehicles below yesterday afternoon.
The NDP’s transportation critic is shocked the new span was forced to close only weeks after opening.
Harry Bains wonders if the province looked at this kind of risk elsewhere when designing the bridge, “like Sweden, Britain, and Boston. Perhaps, also in Seattle.”
“They know that they had some issues with these types of bridges under these weather conditions,” says Bains.
The CEO of Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp), which built the bridge, calls what happened yesterday “an extreme weather situation” and “extremely rare.” Bains doesn’t buy it.
“We are in Canada. There’s no rare or special weather conditions. We know that it snows in Vancouver. We know that these kind of weather conditions are commonplace in the Lower Mainland,” insists Bain.
Bains wants to know what’s being done to make sure this doesn’t happen again. “What are they going to do to assure people that in the future, under similar conditions, the motorists will be safe… that they will not be driving with fear of having ice or snow falling on their cars?”
TI Corp admits a coating applied to the cables meant to slide snow and ice off did not work.
The Port Mann Bridge was closed for most of yesterday afternoon.
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have a vote on whether or not to keep the old bridge together, we obviously need it as a back up you fools
rule #1 always wash your hands……rule #2 don’t tear down the old bridge, you idiots….GET IT!!!, we are going to need it
My wife is scared and looks to me with tearful eyes for a solution everyday. She needs to cross the bridge to go to schoola total of 3.5 km on this death trap. We bought a place in Guildford because it was the best location 35min anywhere in the Lowermainland. Not any more we are now financial and geographical prisoners of the PM. Thanks Liberals!
I laugh that everyone has a comment and think they are such an expert in building bridges…
Since your behind your computer and able to criticize without the experience maybe next time think of something good to say before you comment!
Yes there are issues with the bridge and they will get remedied but have you ever considered maybe drivers are going a bit to fast in a foggy conditions ? Consider the facts and the conditions before you make your stupid comments!
Just something to think about! Oh but wait…. its BC and everyone seems to think there experts in everything….
This design has same problem all over the world in simmilar weather conditions.
Some of European counties solved the problem installing Carbon Heating Films.
However, the real problem is they don’t think this is a serious issue……
Just for your information , both the PM & Golden Ears bridge are “Floating” bridges , meaning there is no bedrock beneath them. An earthquake will bring these two death traps down inside of a minute of a major earthquake starting , just thought you might want to know this.
face it we bought a lemon, we got buffaloed into a new bridge we did’nt need or want. both the PM and golden ears are so poorly constructed, a good wind may blow them both down. many politicians got their bank accounts stuffed to get these lemons built, so they will plead ignorance all the way to their graves.