City reassures public Granville Street Bridge is safe for use

The City of Vancouver is setting the record straight about the stability of the Granville Street Bridge.

It says it’s safe and does not pose any risk to public safety.

This comes after the city filed a notice of civil claim against three contractors who worked on the bridge between 2019 and 2021.

In the notice, the City says the contractors — Associated Engineering, Graham Infrastructure LP, and Ross Rex Industrial Painters — were hired for rehabilitation work to replace expansion joints, install rubber troughs to protect bridge pieces from runoff, and recoat the structural steel.

But the City alleges the bulk of the work was done incorrectly and the contractors were negligent, saying that the defects in the work pose a “real and substantial danger” to the public who use the bridge because of the risk of accelerated corrosion and degradation of the structural steel.

However, the City is now clarifying its comments and says this language is a legal requirement for the claim and does not reflect the safety of the bridge.

The City says it regularly inspects, maintains, and repairs the 70-year-old bridge.

With files from Robyn Crawford and Emma Crawford.