Prince George Gets Cash

Monday, September 17, 2007 01:55 PM

Deputy Premier Shirley Bond, Prince George- Peace River MP Jay Hill and Mayor Colin Kinsley, announce the funding for the Cameron Street Bridge ( photo opinion250 staff)

Prince George received 2 million dollars today from the Western Diversification Fund and from the Municipal Infrastructure program .

The dollars will be used to upgrade and repair Cameron St Bridge .

Prince George –Peace River M.P Jay Hill, and Prince George-Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond, made the announcement at Prince George City Hall this hour.

The announcement today means there is a possibility the Cameron Street Bridge could be back up and running just before the next municipal election.

The City’s Frank Blues, who is in charge of the Cameron Street Bridge project says it is possible to speed up the project which is on the books for completion in 2009.

“This definitely helps in ensuring the funding we had anticipated is available.” Blues says the next issue is the actual start date for construction. “If we wish to advance it earlier than ’09 and seek contract to proceed, then we need to go back to Council and make sure we have provision in our budget process to allow that to happen.

One of the things we have always considered is a winter start to the project and when we are dealing with items like demolition of the existing bridge, the question is, is that the best time of the year to be undertaking it? Can we get that out of the way so that construction proper can start in the spring ‘08”

The design process is underway now, and is expected to be complete by the end of October early November.

As for the full cost of the new bridge, that’s not really clear.

The City has authority to borrow 5.9 million dollars for the project, the $2 million just received brings the funding to $7.9 and Mayor Kinsley says the latest cost estimate is in the $9.5 to $9.7 million dollar range. Kinsley says costs have been held within that range because of the re-use of the old pilings.

The new bridge will have upgraded approaches, two lanes for traffic, shoulders on both sices, and a two metre-wide sidewalk for pedestrian and bike traffic.

The new crossing will:

reduce greenhouse gasses by 11 hundred tonnes per year as vehicles can take a shorter route,
will reduce the damage to 5th Avenue,
ease congestion at 5th and the Bypass, and
restore the City's dangerous goods route.

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Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 01:55 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: giterdun on September 17 2007 2:31 PM

WHOOPIE DING....WHERE'S THE BEEF?

Posted by: bohemian on September 17 2007 3:13 PM

The beef is in Quebec, where it always is.

Posted by: He speaks on September 17 2007 3:31 PM

Western Diversification Fund.

What the heck is that, is it another way for the Feds to say, we have been raping the western province for so long, we need to do something to make us feel good?

Posted by: Jigga on September 17 2007 3:40 PM

yeah...we have to find a way to make this negative. god forbid anything could possibly be construed as a good news story.

Posted by: Runner46 on September 17 2007 4:08 PM

re west div...go here
http://www.wd.gc.ca/default_e.asp

Posted by: Palopu on September 17 2007 5:11 PM

Once again we are sold a bill of goods and people buy into it without any thought.

(1) This was the last standing Heritage Structure in Prince George, and could have been repaired and integrated into our trail system etc; This could have all been done a year ago at a cost of approx $1 Million, and traffic would now be using the bridge.

(2) The bridge will be up and running just before the next Municipal Election, isnt that just wonderful. I wonder who will be running for Mayor. (Could it be Colin (Big Spender) Kinsley)

Now lets look at the BS./

(a) The traffic that will use this bridge after it is built is the same traffic that used it prior to it being closed, and therefore where is the reduction in greenhouse gasses by 11 hundred tonnes per year coming from. In fact the greenhouse gasses have been increased since the bridge was closed because these vehicles had to use the 5th and bypass route. To now go back to how traffic was originally handled and say you are reducing greenhouse gases is true, but only for the period of time the bridge was closed. Ie; 3 to 4 years. After that no change.

(b) The damage to 5th will be reduced, however again we should remember it was caused by diverting the traffic in the first place rather than repair the bridge.

(c) Same thing applies as in (b)

(d) The Citys Dangerous Goods route is Victoria St., however most Vehicles use the Bypass, so what is being restored??? Traffic from Pulp Mill Road to Highway 16 East I suspect, as this traffic presently has to use the Bypass/5th/Carney/1st Avenue. Traffic from Highway 16 East to the Pulp Mills or North on the Hart. Other than that nothing changes.

(e) The cost of the new bridge is not really clear. How can it not be clear when they have been working on the project for years. Of course they know the cost, they are just not in a big hurry to tell us. It appear that if it costs $9.5 Million then they are still $2 Million short. Wonder where that will come from.

Posted by: owl on September 17 2007 8:05 PM

So, we got money for the runway expansion too. They are ready to go to tender or award a contract, but the money is not actually here.....

So, did we get a cheque for $2million???? or is it in the mail with the cheque for the airport expansion?

Western diversification .... diversify the west ... diversify the eocnomy of the west ... just as we are trying to diversify the economy of the interior that has been hit by the MPB ....

The $9.5 million cost .... that is an estimate ..... the longer we wait, the more accurate it is likely to be .... if we do it fast .. it could very well hit the $11 to $12 to $13 million range ....

With two bridges tendering about the same time, some company may grab them both and save some dollars ....