Coquitlam council's proposal for an immediate replacement of the Bailey Bridge isn't being met with the same sense of urgency from their New Westminster counterparts.
Coquitlam council unanimously endorsed a plan presented Monday that calls for a $1.7 million cost-sharing agreement with the City of New Westminster, along with a timeline to complete a new, two-lane bridge by September.
Not so fast, says New Westminster Mayor Wayne Wright, who told The Coquitlam NOW Wednesday that the two cities shouldn't take on the project alone.
Instead, a region-wide strategy, including input and action from the cities of Surrey and Burnaby, should be contemplated, according to Wright.
"You must have a transportation system in place with proper roads and other ways to get on to Highway 1 and to get into our community as well as the surrounding communities. That's not in the plans at this time," he said.
Coquitlam's pitch calls specifically for a 50/50 funding split to be reached by the end of April. From there, construction would take place in the summer, with an opening date targeted for September.
Other aspects of the plan stipulate the proposed bridge accommodate all legal truck and industrial traffic, pedestrians and cyclists, while minimizing impacts to the Brunette River.
"This is very much needed, and it is an urgent need at this point because there is so much of our industrial land on the Coquitlam side that I think remains under-utilized until we can solve this one bottleneck in regional transportation," Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart said Monday.
Further compounding the issue is the 15-tonne weight restriction recently placed on the bridge.
A structural engineer's report notes that Coquitlam fire trucks can pass over the bridge if need be, but fire chief Tony Delmonico said Wednesday that his crews are instructed to take alternate routes.
"At this point, we've put out a notice saying 'Do not use the bridge,'" he said. "That's the reality. We're going to have to (use) another option."
Located within New Westminster city limits on Braid Street, the Bailey bridge was built in 1995 and accommodates about 10,000 vehicles daily, according to a Coquitlam staff report.
The bridge was closed in February for about two weeks after a structural engineer's report cited a "critical fatigue crack."
The 15-tonne weight restriction was put in place once the bridge re-opened, which "significantly limits the usefulness of the bridge considering the demand for goods movement along the Braid/United corridor," according to a city staff report.
Stewart had previously suggested that Coquitlam could fund the replacement with city funds exclusively, though the majority of council did not favour that proposal at Monday's meeting.
"It's never a good thing to rush into something that you don't know the best planning for," said Wright, adding it will be discussed at Monday's New Westminster council meeting. "This (bridge) has been in the plans since I've been here for 11 years, and it hasn't got any better."
