Transportation Minister Working on Cameron Street Bridge Issue

Saturday, February 25, 2006 04:00 AM

He says he can't make a direct committment because the Cameron Street Bridge is a municipal asset, but, Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon says he is doing what he can.  "I have spoken to the Mayor, and I am investing a lot of effort in trying to secure some federal, provincial funding, but I am waiting to hear from the Federal government about the infrastructure committment."

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon talks with Don Zurowski, City Councilor and member of the Regional Transportation Advisory Committee

The Province also needs to wait until a study on the Cameron Street Bridge is completed. That study is focusing on the possibility of using existing piers for a new structure.

There is at least one other project already on the books. Falcon says his Ministry has entered the final design stage for a new passing lane for Highway 16 between Prince George and Vanderhoof.  Work on that passing lane could start in a year.

Falcon revealed the plan while in Prince George to outline the $90 million dollar plan to upgrade sideroads and highways pounded by extra logging traffic.

Falcon also offered an update on the Cariboo Connector project. The $200 million dollar road development will twin Highway 97 south through several sections but Falcon says he hopes all of 97south will be twinned from Prince George to Hope within ten years time.

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Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2006 04:00 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Gofaster on February 25 2006 7:01 AM

Way to go Falcon. You sound exactly like all the rest of the Liberal party members. You talk a lot but say nothing unless Campbell tells you to.

Posted by: Palopu on February 25 2006 7:03 AM

This is one of those times when Colin wishes he could be cloned so he could be a two places at one time basking in the glory of **The Big Time**

I sincerely hope no money is made available for this bridge and that people will come to their senses and repair the old bridge and get back to some sense of sanity in this City. What are the chances????

Posted by: Marty on February 25 2006 8:23 AM

Palopu,

I agree with you 100%....and also about the chances of council and mayor ( watch me spend it) Kinsley making smart choices.

If the grapvine is running correctly, i heard for about $150,000 they can repair the structure and reopen it in short order to traffic.
Maybe just needing to limit the trafic to vehicles of say 10,000 KG or less.
Which is most vehicles, just not tigs.

Then maybe in 15 years if need a new bridge replace the whole thing.
In the mean time it would allow traffic flow to return to normal for 90% of the people that used the bridge.

My 2 cents ( that kinsley will ignore as usual)

Posted by: Marty on February 25 2006 8:25 AM

Yikes need more morning coffee.
Sorry for all the typos folks.
obvious i hope i meant "grapevine" "rigs" etc.

Posted by: diplomat on February 25 2006 8:44 AM

Here is an idea:

Gofaster.....Goslower!

Harcourt, Clark, Miller and Dosanjh all had their MLAs on a very short leash all those years! Not one of them crossed the floor, not even during all the worst scandals. And they all sounded (some still do) as if they went to the same puppet training school!

At least now we get some action cocncerning our roads. For a whole decade we got zip, nada, nothing.

Posted by: owl on February 25 2006 10:45 AM

nutcracker .... I think you are bang on with the $150,000 or so figure for a quick, but likely short-lived (one year?) fix.

What I find amazing is why there is not complete disclosure of the details of this to the public.

Posted by: owl on February 25 2006 10:48 AM

okay ... so that was supposed to be for Marty...
:-)

Posted by: ammonra on February 25 2006 11:05 AM

Diplomat, in case you didn't notice the Liberals have been running the province for the last five years without an opposition in effect. Still, you say everything (everything you don't like, that is) is the NDPs fault! Yeah, right. When, Oh when, will Liberals take responsibility for their own policies? No road repairs for five years - take responsibility. No concern for kids - take responsibility. Please stop blaming everybody else.

Posted by: Chadermando on February 25 2006 11:09 AM

A new passing lane between PG and Vanderhoof... Where?

I would suggest the two most important spots for a passing lane would be West of Cluculz Lake for the East bound lane, and East of the Mud River to the Blackwater also in the East bound lane.

90% of the loaded rigs are heading East towards PG, and it is the up grade that causes the traffic to bunch up.

I doubt we will see a four lane highway to hope in ten years. Its simply a feel good promise 10 years down the road once the current politicians are long gone and thus not accountable for the broken promises. The cancer clinic is no different.

Time Will Tell

Posted by: Gofaster on February 25 2006 12:30 PM

Sorry if I upset you diplomat but I still see a bunch of puppets.
As for the Cameron Street Bridge I still think it could be fixed up and used by light traffic for many years to come. BUT>>>> that would mean keeping the overloaded logging trucks off the bridge. I think a weight limit of 5 tons or less would be ideal and we would get to keep a Heritage item as well.
My humble thoughts.

Posted by: diplomat on February 25 2006 2:05 PM

Gof: "Sorry if I upset you diplomat but I still see a bunch of puppets."

No, you didn't upset me at all.

During the first five years after the NDP the Liberals have done three times as much road building and rehabilitation in B.C. than was done during the entire decade of NDP rule.

A lot of it in the Okanagan, some of it here (like the entire stretch of the Hart Highway from North Kelly Road turn-off to the Simon Fraser Bridge) and so forth.

Don't forget that during the decade of the NDP the debt of B.C. was doubled from 17 billion to 34 billion.

The question remains: what was that money borrowed for if infrastructure spending was for the NDP such a very low priority item?

Posted by: diplomat on February 25 2006 2:14 PM

Ammonra: "Still, you say everything (everything you don't like, that is) is the NDPs fault...."

You are over-reacting! I never blamed the NDP for EVERYTHING! Just like you shouldn't blame the Liberals for everything which I think you are very busy doing!

One consolation: after the Liberals have done all their cruel screw-ups the NDP can take over a province that has been resurrected from its coma and put back on its economic feet again!

So, there are better times on the horizon!

Posted by: owl on February 25 2006 2:23 PM

"A new passing lane between PG and Vanderhoof... Where? "

As it says, between PG and Vanderhoof. They are threelaning the road the entire way ....

;-)

Posted by: Palopu on February 25 2006 2:44 PM

Lets keep this Camerson St. Bridge in perspective. The cost to repair it so that all traffic including heavy trucks could use it would be $724,000.00. This would include resurfacing. This amount was given out by the City Engineer and there was no mention of restricting traffic. Dont forget Heavy trucks were going across the day before they closed it down and I didnt see any in the river. They have to repair two of the bridge's truss chords because of deterioration, and the Bridge would be ok for traffic, and we could have it back this summer. The Mayor and some Councillors want to build a new bridge, hence they are avoiding discussing repairs to the present bridge to get it back to what it was before they closed it. I suggest that the dollars quoted $724,000.00 are also high to get us to think that a new bridge would be better.

If this bridge was repaired and used as it has been for the last 15 years. It would be capable of handling the same amount of traffic as before, and as a bonus we would have a one way Heritage Bridge (75 years old and functioning) that we coud be proud of. It would only take a little interest and ingenuity by our Mayor and Council.

Posted by: ammonra on February 25 2006 5:41 PM

Diplomat: Thank the Lord for that!

Posted by: diplomat on February 25 2006 6:54 PM

Pal: "If this bridge was repaired and used as it has been for the last 15 years. It would be capable of handling the same amount of traffic as before, and as a bonus we would have a one way Heritage Bridge (75 years old and functioning) that we could be proud of. It would only take a little interest and ingenuity by our Mayor and Council. "

I agree with you 100%. For some reason(s) this whole bridge affair is being blown way out of proportion.

Posted by: owl on February 25 2006 11:12 PM

and that is the mysterious question - what is that reason?

With the information that is out there, the decisions made simply do not make any sense. Whether there are some alterior motives, or whether it is one of those bureaucratic messes admin + council have gotten themselves into where decisions seem reasonable when looking at the micro details, but do not make sense when stepping back to look at the big picture every now and then. Time for them to re-assess this from the beginning. They can do that at the same time that someone will tell them that the state and structural capacity of the piers.