Overweight vehicles may have contributed to the demise of the Bailey bridge, says Mayor Wayne Wright.
Wright said the city has received reports that “huge trucks” were seen crossing the bridge from Coquitlam into New Westminster. The City of New Westminster announced March 4 that the Bailey bridge in the Braid industrial areas is closed to vehicles after cracks were found on the underside of the bridge.
“We are looking to see how do we replace it and what do we do,” he told The Record Wednesday. “My understanding from the engineers’ report is that they can’t see some of the repairs needed so it can’t be repaired.”
While the existing bridge is out of commission, the city had contacted the province to see if another temporary structure is available until a decision is made about a more permanent solution for the controversial crossing. Built in the 1990s, the bridge was intended to have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years.
“At the same time we are in discussions with Coquitlam – should it be a single or a two-lane bridge?” Wright said. “That’s taking place at the same time.”
In February 2013, the City of New Westminster closed the Bailey bridge after an engineering assessment revealed the bridge had a crack in one of the structure supports, something the city attributed to excessive wear and tear. The cities of New Westminster and Coquitlam shared the costs to have the repairs done so the bridge could reopen.
When the bridge reopened a few days later, new load restrictions were put in effect that limited vehicle traffic to 15 tonnes maximum – meaning heavy commercial trucks are no longer permitted to cross the bridge.
Coquitlam has been pushing for the replacement of the one-lane bridge with a multi-lane bridge, but New Westminster fears a two-lane bridge would worsen the longstanding traffic issues that exist in the industrial area and Braid/ Brunette corridor.
