The cities of New Westminster and Coquitlam have managed to bridge their differences in the ongoing Bailey bridge saga with an agreement that means a two-lane crossing in the Braid Street industrial area.
New Westminster had been pushing for the controversial corridor to retain a single-lane crossing when the aging bridge was replaced, but an arbitrator recently sided with Coquitlam's call for a two-lane bridge.
"Obviously, we had to work with what the provincial arbitrator had decided there, and I think it was in the best interest of both municipalities to work together to basically put forward what the arbitrator had made in their decision," said acting mayor Jonathan Cote. "It was important for New Westminster to kind of sit down and work with Coquitlam and get this process moving forward. I think in those discussions we were able to utilize the work we'd already done with respect to the replacement of the single-lane bridge, which was the work we had already started, so that bridge will be able to be used."
The city's main concern for the city with a two-lane crossing was that a second lane would encourage even more traffic in an already-congested area, and that traffic would be backing up against the busy railway corridor.
"Brunette Avenue is already one of the busier intersections in Metro Vancouver," Cote said. "It's not one of those intersections you would want to be encouraging more traffic to come in to."
The city will monitor the impact of the new two-lane crossing once it's implemented. If issues arise, the city will take a look at options to mitigate some of the negative impacts, Cote said.
"From the city's perspective, we're obviously not excited about going through the process, but it was one of those things after the provincial arbitrator made the decision, we had to sit down and work with the province and with the City of Coquitlam," he said, "and we feel we've done that and done the best we can with the circumstances to try to protect the interests of the residents of New Westminster."
The two sides have agreed that the existing structure, which crosses the Brunette River near the Braid Street industrial area, will be replaced with two single-lane Bailey bridges to provide for two-way traffic flow. One span will also include pedestrian and bicycle pathways.
A single-lane bridge has been acquired by the City of New Westminster and will be used for one of the crossings. The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has agreed to provide on loan a second bridge. The total cost of this replacement will be shared by both cities and is estimated at approximately $1.2 million, including the cost of the ministry-supplied bridge to be paid after three years, the release states.
The previous one-lane Bailey Bridge crossing was closed to vehicular traffic in March when an engineering inspection deemed it structurally unsound. Work on installation of the two bridges will commence immediately and is expected to be complete in mid-September. Until a replacement bridge is operational, the crossing will be closed to all traffic including cyclists and pedestrians.
