Bridge and Financing Need Updating

By 250 News

The matter before Council was a Nechako River Crossing Conceptual plan.

The resolution before Prince George City Council read as follows:

"Moved by Councilor Zurowski, seconded by Councilor Skakun that the issues be referred to Administration for a report on:

a) the cost of replacing the above-pier wooden infrastructure with a single or double land engineered metal structure; and

b) the cost of improving access, egress and capacity to 5th Avenue allowing better utilization of the bridge capacity that is currently in place."    

The motion was defeated. The Mayor and Councilors Scott and Basserman  among the opposed.

This is not a motion that was on the floor at Monday night’s Council meeting which dealt with the Cameron Street Bridge.  It was a motion that was made at a Council meeting November 15th, 2004.  That was a year before the Cameron Street Bridge was closed,  nearly two years before a study (not unlike the one called for in the motion noted above) was delivered to Council.

That night in November of 2004, the Council of the day  instead  agreed  to  go with  the plan for a new superstructure that  would see phase one developed at a cost of $18 million dollars, phase two would cost another $4million. (Councilors Rogers,Zurowski, Skakun and Sethen opposed)

On Monday,  Council  received a report on  the feasibility  of using the existing  piers of the Cameron Street bridge to build a two lane crossing that included a bike lane and pedestrian crossing.  While such a structure might not have the lifespan of a brand new bridge, the  report indicated it was feasible, and the price tag would be about $9.5 million.  

Here is something to keep in mind. 

The $9.5 million price tag  noted in the most recent report is based on 2006 dollars.  The price tag for the new super structure’s first phase, $18 million, is based on 2004 dollars.

Industry experts  tell Opinion 250 the construction costs have risen by  20 - 25% over the past two years.   That means, if the project were to start tomorrow,  the  first phase of the  "superstructure all new bridge"  could be expected to cost, at the very least, $21.5 million.  The second phase, estimated at $4 million would be more likely $5 million.  So instead of the overall project costing the estimated $22 million,  the final price tag could tip into the $27 million dollar range. 

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us