Say goodbye to the four lane's too!

On hold as, "to when we can find the money"? On hold as, "Kinda like a Dan Rogers moment" meaning lets talk some more? Or on hold as, ïn make ém wait so they will appreciate us down here in Victoria more"? Or on hold as "til the next election and we can use this as a bribe for votes"? Lotsa options.

Yes... and why do people think we are so negative here, hmmmmm!

Obviously (it looks like it) the contractors are attempting to take advantage of the hot economy and the oversupply of lucrative projects already underway.

How else could the lowest bid be 50% over estimate?

Perhaps the Ministry can explore the option of having all the structural steel for the new bridge manufactured overseas (China or Korea)and just contract out the piers and assembly to a reasonable company in B.C.

That may bring the total price down to something that is more fair to the taxpayer, i.e. us.

The container cranes for Prince Rupert are being built in Asia, so a bridge ordered from Asia may just set the pattern for future Canadian bridge construction and replacement.

Other countries are doing it already, so Canada may as well take advantage of this opportunity too.

Finally a decision made by the Government that makes sense. We need to twin this bridge like we need a hole in our heads. Once the scale is moved South traffic should move over the old bridge with little or no problem. It is not the bridge that is the problem, it is the light at the scale that backs up traffic between 4 and 5 PM.

Hopefully if the traffic problem is solved by moving the scale, they will never have a need to twin this bridge. There is no reason to beleive that the traffic will get any busier than it is at this time.

Its not a safe bridge. I'd rather see a four laner like the one on Foothills built as part of a ring road down river conecting Blackwater & Highway 16 to 97 South. The people of proposed University Hieghts will appreciate this. Peden Hill is dangerous as it is in the winter months.

No surprize here, just like anything else the Liberals promised. No problem for 2010 stuff though.

Just thought I'd point one thing out. The scale has been closing to northbound traffic from 4pm til after 5pm during the week for over 2 years now. As there is no scale traffic trying to make left turns onto the highway at this intersection at these times how exactly is the scale responsible for the traffic delays. Might it be that all the car traffic that races down Great St. to try and beat out others may have something to do with this? And since it is LIGHT vehicle traffic that causes the delays, how is the moving the scale going to change anything?
A dedicated left turn signal light for northbound traffic at the intersection combined with a straight thru northbound lane with a merging lane for traffic comming off Railway going north would aleviate the problem. Northbound traffic comming from south of the current intersection then would not have to stop at all.
Without a complete redisign of the intersection nothing will change regardless of whether the scale is moved or not.

Definitely need to get rid of the traffic light at the scales! People will go down the side street and come up at the scales light to trigger the light and get ahead of the other traffic.
Removing the scales and that light would certainly help lots.

I am not as optomistic as the government...
I will beleive it when I see it...."DONE"..
until then it is good new topic and bound to raise the blood preasure of some....

Not our mayor though, he is off on another paid trip, to the US this time I hear...

Good plan Moosinator. I never thought of a dedicated through lane and a left turn lane North. I did notice that even though the scale was closed (I went through yesterday at 5pm) there were still trucks going through the scale.

In any event once traffic moves through this light and over the bridge faster it will then start to back up at the lights at 97 and 16 Highway, which it does to some extent now. Getting traffic to this intersection faster only moves the problem, it does not solve it., and that is why twinning the bridge is a waste of money.

However because it is taxpayers money and very few if any taxpayers in this town complain, I am sure that eventually it will be built.

I agree that the intersection at Hiway 16 west and 97 north is a problem. I have sat there for a long time waiting to turn left towards the BCR site. It's a long wait most of the time. It doesn't take long for traffic to back up.

I am also thankful that the project is put on hold because of the escalating costs. There comes a point that we must use some discernment regarding the cost of things. If it is still decided that twinning the bridge is a solution down the road, let's wait until the costs have reduced and the labour is available to do the job.

One of the other problems is the length of time it takes to finally make a decision. Too much analysis causes paralasis. One more study anyone? Chester

>"However because it is taxpayers money and very few if any taxpayers in this town complain, I am sure that eventually it will be built."<

I hope there isn't as much negativity in Kelowna about getting a new super bridge across the lake as there is in Prince George about twinning the Simon Fraser bridge!

Complaints or not, they are going to get their new bridge because it is taxpayers' money, some of it actually generated in Prince George, I am sure.

Well i went by there in my truck north bound at 4:35 pm last wednesday and the scales were open then.... Is it just some days they are closed?