Frustration over Bailey bridge repairs

COQUITLAM (NEWS1130) – Good fences make good neighbours, but what about good bridges?

A longstanding struggle over replacing the old Bailey bridge between New Westminster and Coquitlam is now focusing on safety risks.

The single lane, wooden bridge was closed indefinitely earlier this week to deal with structural problems and the Mayor of Coquitlam suggests it is high time a proper crossing was built.

“Absolutely — Coquitlam has long expressed its interest in trying to get a solution here. It’s the only one-lane, alternating traffic section of any truck route anywhere in the province that I can think of. It just doesn’t work,” Richard Stewart tells News1130.

Coquitlam has been pushing for the extension of United Boulevard to Braid, preferring a grade-seperated, four-lane highway.

In the past, $65 million in federal funding was granted for the project but the offer expired after New Westminster refused to agree to it, not wanting the extra truck traffic an expanded route would bring into the city.

“Now we are left with us, obviously, having to replace this Bailey bridge or find a solution funded entirely by the two city governments without federal funding. This is going to cost us a lot of money,” says Stewart.

“New Westminster has had some issues, there’s no secret there, about how this traffic would be handled in their community along with a number of other intersections along the route. We have tried to work with them on that and I want us to continue to try to work with them on finding solutions for those,” says Stewart.

“But in the end this is absolutely needed for emergency traffic, if nothing else, so we have to find a solution right now to get this roadway open again,” he adds.

Royal Columbian Hospital is located blocks away from the old bridge and Mayor Stewart says you can not call it a regional hospital if you can’t get to it.

“We have, in Coquitlam, taken an awful lot of roadway improvements and widening and expansion of roadways in order to accommodate the region’s growth and traffic. We all have to do that, transportation is a regional need.”

Stewart says Coquitlam is prepared to pay its share of the repair or replacement cost for the bridge and wants to work with New Westminster council on long term solutions.

“It won’t fix itself, it won’t fix itself with neglect, we have to get this solved,” Stewart says.

News1130 has made calls to New Westminster Mayor Wayne Wright, but as of Wednesday morning, they have yet to be returned.