Total Budget For Weigh Scale Now Known

Friday, July 23, 2010 02:24 PM

Prince George, B.C. - The Prince George South Weigh Scale project will ring in at approximately $9-million dollars over-budget, and will wrap up almost one year behind schedule.

B.C. Transportation Minister, Shirley Bond, says her Ministry's chief engineer has determined that extreme rainfall forced delays and tipped the project along Highway 97, near Red Rock, into the red, from its original price tag of $30-million dollars.

(Ministry staff began looking into the issue in detail this spring, the project had been expected to wrap up last fall.)

"The chief engineer told me that the challenges we're facing fiscally are related to soil issues that we had as a result of extreme rainfall in the summer of 2008 and, then, the winter-spring conditions," says Bond. "And, in fact, in the winter-spring of 2009, I believe the rainfall was about 150-percent of what it normally is, so basically, we ended up with some significant geo-technical challenges."

Bond says the cost over-runs and delay are a huge disappointment. She says the Transportation Ministry has an exceptional track record, historically, with over 92-percent of its 400 annual projects done on-time and on-budget.

And she points out the additional costs will be covered through savings, efficiencies and contingencies from other projects. "We're doing it within the budget envelope that we have -- we are not cancelling any other projects." In addition, the wet soil removed from the weigh scale site will be dried and re-used elsewhere in the Cariboo Connector project.

The Transportation Minister says, "The good news is it's going to be substantially complete by the end of August. We'll run an early pilot in September to calibrate the weigh scales and make sure everything is working properly, and, then, truckers will be able to experience a whole new way of approaching Prince George."

The new scales will use 'weigh-in-motion' technology that takes weight and measurements as the truck drives along the highway.

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Posted on Friday, July 23, 2010 02:24 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Loki on July 23 2010 3:37 PM

30% over budget, wow that's talent.

Posted by: Rockin on July 23 2010 3:50 PM

You know what happens to people in the private sector that have cost over runs of 30%.

Posted by: obiwan on July 23 2010 3:54 PM

They become civil servants?

Posted by: rufus1 on July 23 2010 4:04 PM

ok, now I know what happened to the guys that built Canfor Pulp,s cogen plant--- was that 100% over budget?

Posted by: Dragonmaster on July 23 2010 4:25 PM

This is your Liberal gov't hard at work spending our tax dollars to pay a scab union contractor for work they're not qualified to do.

Rockin, it's not the gov't thats 30% over budget it's JJM.

Posted by: interceptor on July 23 2010 4:28 PM

"scab union contractor" Dragonmaster? Are you not the one praising unions on another thread, or am I misinterpreting your comment?

Posted by: Dragonmaster on July 23 2010 4:52 PM

Misinterpreting, however I should have said "Rat" not "Scab"

Posted by: seamutt on July 23 2010 4:57 PM

What a load of BS. Just look where they built the dam thing. Built on the side of a hill that had to be reworked. A few k's south of there flat land on the four lane, costs would have been a lot less. I wonder what liberal connections there were in relation to the property? Come on Bond time to fess up with some truth for a change.

Posted by: Harbinger on July 23 2010 5:04 PM

$30 million bucks would have built a real cool homeless shelter there. Wow!

Posted by: turtle_mapper on July 23 2010 5:54 PM

Weird. I recently travelled in southern ontario where they have weigh stations all along the 401 and 407, canada's busiest highways. Down there, the footpriont for one of these things is a heck of a lot smaller than the one south of town here. And they build them on the flats.

Posted by: Honestjoe on July 23 2010 5:57 PM

39 million dollars, 9 million dollars over budget. That is 30% over the original estimate of 30 million dollars. Gross incompetence. Only in the public service. Some contractor is getting very rick. Shirley Bond should resign and stop making excuses for her incompetence as well.

Posted by: boomer on July 23 2010 6:58 PM

After completion there may also be issues with the soil under the existing highway. This would probably delay the operation of the scale as southbound traffic would need to be rerouted.Just a rumour going around . Time will tell.

Posted by: Denaljo on July 23 2010 7:16 PM

Aw! Geez! Didn't anybody tell the engineers they were building on a mucky clay hill and that sometimes it rains here?
FREE enterprise at work folks!

Posted by: Andyfreeze on July 23 2010 8:02 PM

Love to see an itemized list for that one!
Actually,we should be getting used to overruns with this government.
Still,9 million big ones is a lot of overrun!
Who got it all?

Posted by: Palopu on July 23 2010 10:22 PM

Thats 9 Million plus the loss of revenue from the scale being out of service for a year. So theres probably another couple of million down the drain.

Big savings by drying out the wet soil and using it on the connector somewhere else, we all know that there is a huge shortage of soil in the interior.

Posted by: seamutt on July 23 2010 11:24 PM

Notice with this news report on CKPG how carbon footprint is brought up, seems to be brought up with every government annoucement. I guess they now this whole man caused gobull warming thing is falling off the rails and they have to keep up the misinformation to justify the carbon tax.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." Joseph Goebbels

Posted by: Eagleone on July 23 2010 11:27 PM

Denaljo, how has this anything to do with Free Enterprise. It does not and you simply do not understand the terms you are using it would appear.

Free Enterprise is the only thing that will save this world from monopoly capitalism and corporate socialism and all the other ism's of the protocols. Free Enterprise is what built the economic miracle of the 'West' including Canada and the United States. Free enterprise is under constant assault by our special interest political party system... and when we lose Free Enterprise we lose our freedom, middle class, and essentially our rights as up right human beings.

Posted by: acrider54 on July 24 2010 6:17 AM

I know charge the truckers a toll to cross the scales and fine them big time if they bypass it. That would be the liberal way of doing things.

Posted by: PrinceGeorge on July 24 2010 8:12 AM

"I know charge the truckers a toll to cross the scales and fine them big time if they bypass it. That would be the liberal way of doing things."

Precisely! And, by the way, it would be the CORRECT way! User pay, it's called! And, obey the law! Break the law - pay the fine!

Put video cameras all over the weigh scales!

Eagleone, thanks for your *reality check* comment! It's bang on! Made my day!

Posted by: trucker16x on July 24 2010 8:33 AM

This guy "prince george" has no idea what he's talking about. Too bad you can't tax "stupid"

Posted by: gus on July 24 2010 8:51 AM

I am not a trucker, but am wondering whether technology is not going to quickly autodate all of these scales by accepting on board "scales" as the way to access the data required.

With the transducers hooked to transmitters that can send the data to remote government data collectors, coupled with GPS data, information can be collected as often during a trip as one would want.

The cost of the units would be borne by each company or individual trucker and come as part of the purchased package, sealed and replaceable only by mechanics certified by the government for that purpose.

http://www.truckweight.com/EN

Posted by: gus on July 24 2010 9:02 AM

Free enterprise, as in business governed by the laws of supply and demand without restraint.

So we can do away with all scales then ... and driver licenses ..... and traffic laws .... and police .....

Would work much better that way since business would police itself due to the cost of crashes that would become prohibitive otherwise. They would not overload trucks since that would wear out equipment faster and become too cost prohibitive, etc. etc.

A true free enterpise system would be far superior. We could get rid of hundreds of thousand of enforcement jobs and regulation creating jobs accross this nation and put those people to good use in production.

We would become the envy of the world due to the tremendous productivity increases and associated increase of the quality of life.

Posted by: gus on July 24 2010 9:07 AM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38333697/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy

Capitalism being rebranded as free enterprise and eagleone is the messenger..... :-)

Posted by: PrinceGeorge on July 24 2010 10:18 AM

"This guy "prince george" has no idea what he's talking about. Too bad you can't tax "stupid"."

Alright, you are free to bypass the scales, stupid.

Posted by: Retired on July 24 2010 11:06 AM

Why are all these trucks on our highways? Wouldnt it be more cost effective to use our railways to haul out goods.

It just dosent make sence to have all these trucks destroying our highways.

This is some what of the subject but there are many that confuse "free enterprise" with "Capitalism". Today we are probably under a capitalist system as good as it gets. Captilism is alive and well "free enterprise:|" is dead.
Cheers

Posted by: PrinceGeorge on July 24 2010 12:02 PM

"There is general agreement that capitalism encourages economic growth while further entrenching significant differences in income and wealth. The extent to which different markets are free, as well as the rules defining private property, is a matter of politics and policy, and many states have what are termed mixed economies."

Pure Free Enterprise does not exist, but in a mixed economy there are indeed at least some manifestations of free enterprise.

Posted by: gus on July 24 2010 2:01 PM

Enterprise = an undertaking, especially one of some scope, complication and risk.

Free = not controlled by obligation or the will of another

In my mind the term "free enterprise" is an oxymoron.

Posted by: gus on July 24 2010 2:06 PM

So why is there no such thing as a free enterprise?

When I make something and sell it, or provide some service and sell it, I have an obligation for that product or service to be fit for the purpose. Thus the enterprise is controlled by the obligation I have to my customer. I need no laws of the state to be under that obligation.

Posted by: gus on July 24 2010 2:11 PM

So, do we see why we have state control? Or vigilante justice?

Posted by: Harbinger on July 24 2010 5:10 PM

Saw an NDP bumper sticker that said , "Free enterprise is too expensive."

Posted by: Andyfreeze on July 24 2010 5:17 PM

I am starting to believe that this is how polticians move money around.
Move it enough times, and it eventually disappears somewhere with no accountability.
So who got it all?
We never see the detailed costs,they just throw out a figure and we are supposed to accept it.
The Campbell government is one of the worst for cost over-runs.
Everything they do goes over budget... substancially.
Are they really that stupid?...or do they just hire stupid people to run these projects?
Where is the money Shirley Bond?
Justify this gross over-run with facts and figures,not your usual politcal bullsh**t!
We have had far too much of that!

Posted by: gus on July 24 2010 5:48 PM

It was redistributed back to some of the people from whence it came in the first place ......

There are two lineups .... the one which most of us are in that takes money from us ...

Then a few in that line get to go into another lineup that is much shorter which gives out the money collected to those in the shorter lineup .... :-)

Posted by: Andyfreeze on July 25 2010 6:45 AM

That about says it all gus!

Posted by: Retired on July 25 2010 9:56 AM

Sheep!
Cheers

Posted by: PrinceGeorge on July 25 2010 10:50 AM

Since 2001 95% of all projects funded by the government have been on time and on budget, some ahead of time and actually below budget.

So the weigh scale is one project that did not come in on budget or on time.

Big deal! Remember the twinning of the Yellowhead bridge? Way late and way over budget!

Why? The government at that time ran into geo-technical problems with the foundations for the piers.

They were not the Liberals. But, stuff happens occasionally.

Sorry, but I do have to mention the Fast Ferries: Original budgeted amount $ 120 million, actual final cost?

Triple.