NDP weighs in on problems with the Port Mann Bridge
Posted December 20, 2012 7:04 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS1130) – The NDP’s transportation critic says no one is taking responsibility for what happened with the Port Mann Bridge.
While the province is laying blame on the builder, Kiewit-Flatiron, the NDP’s Harry Bains doesn’t find that very reassuring, saying it took the minister 24 hours to address the issue.
“They left the CEO of TI Corp to answer all of those questions. There are different messages coming. Mr. Proudfoot, the CEO responsible for building the bridge and running the bridge, has been saying since yesterday that they built the bridge according to all Canadian standards, and all the standards were met.”
Bains says Transportation Minister Mary Polak has said the government knew there were potential issues with snow and weather. “She’s saying they obviously didn’t fix it. So there are two different messages coming. One, she’s saying they knew this was a potential issue and they failed to address it. Mr. Proudfoot, on the other hand, is saying they build to every standard they’re required to build.”
“She’s coming out as tough and hard on this issue and saying that Kiewit-Flatiron is responsible and not the government or taxpayers. Well, the Kiewit-Flatiron statement, they’re basically saying ‘we acknowledge that this issue needs to be reviewed and addressed,'” Bains continues.
“No one is taking responsibility, they’re passing the buck to each other. In the meantime, we have $3.4 billion spent and the main purpose behind this was to move people and goods in a more efficient manner than the previous bridge,” he adds.
Bains says what happened yesterday was quite the opposite. “You’ve never seen this kind of situation where things are falling from the sky, from the bridge, from the structure, where we have to shut the bridge down. You never saw that with the Alex Fraser.”
Bains is questioning how the government is going to assure motorists they will be safe driving in similar conditions in the future. “No concrete solutions are offered and they’re simply saying they acknowledge the problem and they’re looking at ways to fix it.”
He says he needs to see proof that taxpayers won’t be on the hook for changes made to the Port Mann Bridge. “This government has a history of saying one thing and doing another. I think they’ve lost trust with the public.”
