Bridge Study Hopefuls Huddle

Wednesday, January 18, 2006 04:00 AM

Engineering firms hoping to get the contract for a study on the Cameron Street Bridge, have had a chance to meet with City reps.

They were trying to get some more information before putting together thier proposals which outline their plans, their company background, experience and the cost.

The City has set aside $190,000.00 for a study on the feasibility of using the existing piers to construct a new bridge. The city already knows making repairs to the bridge, including replacing the deck, would cost $724,000.00

The City has already aproved the site as the place where a new Nechako Crossing will be built, but the approved plan carries a price tag of $22.4 million dollars.  It would see a deck for two lanes of traffic, bike lanes, pedestrian facilities and lighting.

Transportation Manager Frank Blues says this feasibility study, could save money in the long run "I understand there is a concern about throwing good money after bad, but if a new bridge could be built on the existing piers, there would be significant savings."

There has been a concern expressed the 5 concrete piers of the Cameron Street Bridge, (built in 1931) couldn't possibly meet the seismic or technical standards needed for todays construction. "How old is the Brooklyn Bridge?" Blues asks "Is it carrying more traffic than it was built to handle, is it carrying more weight than the designers planned?"

Blues says the Cameron Piers just might surprise us all "There have been few seismic events over the years in Prince George, and this city is not prone to that sort of thing, still, the limited survey work we have done indicates the piers are relatively level. There has been no significant movement over the years." He adds "All things considered, they are in pretty good shape."

According to the Transportation Manager, about half a dozen potential proponents attended Tuesday's information session with City staff. "They were mostly interested in the Innovative Considerations part of the request for proposals" says Blues. That part of the rfp outlines a bonus point system for those who think "outside the box"

"What we are trying to say is, if you think there is something we missed, or if you have a better idea, lets hear it".

The proposals have to be submitted by 2 p.m. January 31st, with an expectation the successful proponent will present a report in May.
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Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 04:00 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Gofaster on January 18 2006 5:37 AM

Way to go Mr Blues.... yet another feasability study. Spending money....so save money....give me a break.... Make a desision and live with it aleady!

Posted by: giterdun on January 18 2006 7:45 AM

HEY CITY HALL ITS TIME YOU GUYS WENT OUTSIDE THE BOX AND TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE THIS CITY IS HEADING.WE ARE ON THE BRINK OF THE BIGGEST ECONOMIC EXPLOSION THIS CITY HAS SEEN SINCE THE SEVENTIES.BIG PLANS ARE ON THE HORIZON. INSTEAD OF DISCUSSING THE FEASABILITY OF A 75 YEAR OLD BRIDGE WE SHOULD BE DISCUSSING 2 OR 4 LANES. BY THE WAY NEITHER THE HART OR THE 97 SOUTH BRIDGE WOULD CONFORM TO THE PRESENT ENGINEERING STANDARDS. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THE CAMERON BRIDGE WOULD.LET GET ON WITH CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW FACILITY BEFORE THE RUSH. MANPOWER SHORTAGES AND INCREASED COSTS ARE LOOMING.GITERDUN!

Posted by: Foo738 on January 18 2006 8:32 AM

Hey giterdun - wrong location to handle the traffic - no roads in the bowl.

Posted by: diplomat on January 18 2006 8:34 AM

git: >"WE ARE ON THE BRINK OF THE BIGGEST ECONOMIC EXPLOSION THIS CITY HAS SEEN SINCE THE SEVENTIES.BIG PLANS ARE ON THE HORIZON."<

Don't be shy....fill us in, please, what are the BIG PLANS?

I have seen more BIG PLANS touted for this region than you can shake a stick at!

Chopstick factories?

Posted by: Foo738 on January 18 2006 8:46 AM

I, too, would like to view the report condemning the bridge just prior to the municipal election. We need more transparency at City Hall.

Posted by: giterdun on January 18 2006 8:48 AM

DIPLOMAT: ALL RELATED TO OIL AND PR RUPERT PORT EXPANSION. KEEP YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND.

Posted by: spanky on January 18 2006 9:15 AM

Burn it down and swim for it. That would be kewl.

later..........

Posted by: Itsme on January 18 2006 9:20 AM

Its going to be an imposion when the pine beetle project is complete. We should be back to the depressed cyle we have been in fot the last ten years.
Building the bridge is a farce. Its just payback time for the 600 votes that Kinsly got from the Hart area. Stupidity has no bounds.

Posted by: diplomat on January 18 2006 10:51 AM

git: >"DIPLOMAT: ALL RELATED TO OIL AND PR RUPERT PORT EXPANSION. KEEP YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND.<

Ah so!

By the way: on the left side of your keyboard is a key labeled [Caps Lock].

Is it stuck, maybe?

:)-

Posted by: Palopu on January 18 2006 11:13 AM

If I was an oil company and especially with the high price of oil and the availability of Major Pipe lines I would have drilled for oil and and been in production years ago. The fact that there is no action here at this time is because it is still not feasible, any probably never will be. The Container Port in Prince Rupert, is very small in terms of Container Ports around the World, (2 cranes in initial stage) . The intent is for these loaded containers to go to the US Midwest/East and return loaded to West Coast Ports/Rupert/Vancr/Seattle/Portland etc. The company building the Port is American in New Jersey. There will be absolutely no spin off from this Container Terminal for the City of Prince George. There will be no reason to stop the trains here. Why would they?????

Posted by: giterdun on January 18 2006 11:39 AM

PALOPU: IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO REREAD YOUR POST IN ONE TO TWO YEARS JUST TO SEE HOW WRONG YOU WERE.

Posted by: giterdun on January 18 2006 11:45 AM

DIPLOMAT: MY CAPS KEY IS NOT STUCK. MY FINGERS ARE TOO BIG TO TYPE SMALL LETTERS.

Posted by: diplomat on January 18 2006 12:30 PM

git: >"Diplomat,my caps key is not stuck. My fingers are too big to type small letters."<

Hey, no problem! There is one in every crowd, and you are it!

:)-

Posted by: Palopu on January 18 2006 12:31 PM

Giterdun. You didnt answer my question. Why would a loaded Container train from Pr Rupert or a loaded Container Train going to Prince Rupert stop in Prince George other than to change crews. You might load some containers in Prince George with lumber or woodpulp to go to Rupert, however if you did then you would kill off this business that is presenlty being railed and trucked to Vancouver Ports, so at most you would have a sawoff. No net gain.

Posted by: Mike on January 18 2006 11:53 PM

The trains will only stop going east--to take the people who are fed up with the lack of activity in PG.

Posted by: giterdun on January 19 2006 8:17 AM

PALOPU & MIKE
THIS CHAT IS TOO NEGATIVE FOR ME. YOU BOYS GET OUT YOUR RESPIRATORS. YOU ARE GOING TO BE CAUGHT IN THE DUST WHEN PROGRESS PASSES YOU BY.

Posted by: diplomat on January 19 2006 8:42 AM

git: >"THIS CHAT IS TOO NEGATIVE FOR ME. YOU BOYS GET OUT YOUR RESPIRATORS. YOU ARE GOING TO BE CAUGHT IN THE DUST WHEN PROGRESS PASSES YOU BY.<

Yep! Just heard on the radio that two native bands in Prince Rupert are about to stop the container port project via a Supreme Court injunction.

There isn't going to be much dust when everything is on hold.

Posted by: Palopu on January 19 2006 8:53 AM

Giterdun. Its not a case of being negative, its a case of separating the fact from the fiction. These types of expansion predictions have been going on in Prince George for the past 40 years. In the early 1970's the predictions for the population of Prince George by the year 2000 was 200,000 people. In fact the Citys population has remained the same for the past 10 years, somewhere in the area of 75000 people. This can only be described as negative growth. The last High Rise office building was built approx 15 years ago. Im not aware of any new Industry of any significance locating in Prince George in the last 10 years. All the expansion has been for SuperStores to attract business from outlying areas and locally at the expense of local business. Major expansion in Prince George based on a Container Terminal in Prince Rupert which is 500 Miles away will have no more effect than the 5 or 6 Container Terminals presenlty in Vancouver which is 500 Miles away. Oil and Gas exploration is a possibility, however I find it hard to beleive that they would not all ready be there if in was viable and profitable. Prince George has been hit very hard economically in the past 15 years due and it is going to take more than announcements by Government, and Real Estate agents to get it to bounce back.

Posted by: giterdun on January 19 2006 12:09 PM

HEY FOLKS: NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY YOU WILL NEVER GET ME TO VOTE NDP.

Posted by: diplomat on January 19 2006 12:37 PM

git:"HEY FOLKS: NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY YOU WILL NEVER GET ME TO VOTE NDP. <"

Why not? Do you have some problem with living in an earthly paradise???

Posted by: giterdun on January 19 2006 12:49 PM

HEY DIP: LOVE TO LIVE IN PARADISE.TROUBLE IS TRYIN' TO PAY FOR IT. ITS HARD TO DRINK MILK AFTER THE COW DIES.

Posted by: giterdun on January 19 2006 1:21 PM

HI FOLKS: ITS BEEN A GOOD TRIP. CROSSED A BRIDGE-STUDIED OIL & PORT EXPANSION-HAD A LESSON IN COMPUTER KEYBOARDS-TOOK A LOOK AT WORLD ECONOMICS-GOT ACCUSED OF BEING PART OF A CROWD-HEARD ABOUT TRAIN SCHEDUALWS,NATIVES & DUST-TOUCHED A SORE SPOT ON POLITICS-COW DIED, COULDN'T AFFORD TO GO TO PARADISE,HOWEVER I LEARNED SOMETHING- IF YOU DON,T WAIT FOR A TRAIN YOU WILL NEVER GET TO RIDE ON ONE.GOT TO GO TO WORK NOW AND PAY TAX SO YOU FOLKS CAN LIVE IN PARADISE.IT,S BEEN FUN .I'M GONE.

Posted by: diplomat on January 19 2006 5:48 PM

Git said:" HEY DIP: LOVE TO LIVE IN PARADISE.TROUBLE IS TRYIN' TO PAY FOR IT. ITS HARD TO DRINK MILK AFTER THE COW DIES."

Hey git, you are an inspiration, but you forgot: This cow is immortal! It is called "bankers and lenders."

They just love governments asking for more milk (money, deficit, debt!!!) because it enables them to make CORPORATE profits, in the Billions, year after year!

The heck. you say!

Yep. It's a fact. There is no such a thing as a free lunch, Jack.