Bailey Bridge to open within the week
Posted November 6, 2014 9:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS1130) – The Bailey Bridge connecting New Westminster and Coquitlam should be open next week.
The single lane wooden span is being replaced by two separate bridges, to accommodate two different directions of traffic. One of the new bridges will take pedestrians and bicycles.
The new crossing was supposed to be open in mid-September.
“There were some issues with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. We had to relocate a ditch, or outfall, because of some sensitivity there with a salmon habitat. But that’s now complete,” says New Westminster Councillor Chuck Puckmayr.
While the new spans might be welcomed by some drivers, Puckmayr warns gridlock still hasn’t been addressed.
“We do have 65 train movements a day across those five sets of railway tracks at Braid and Brunette. That’s a real problem.”
Problems first cropped up with the wooden bridge back in February, 2013 because of cracks. Another closure followed in March of this year. This summer, both the cities of New Westminster and Coquitlam reached a deal to replace the wooden structure.
