One year after plans to replace South Surrey’s Bailey bridge – which crosses the Nicomekl River just north of Crescent Road – were announced, work is to get underway.
But it’s not yet going to be the full replacement project that was initially announced – at least not yet.
According to a Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure news release issued Friday morning, repairs to the bridge are to start Monday (Nov. 19).
“The maintenance contractor “is completing necessary repairs to the deck, structure and road at the south end,” ministry officials told Peace Arch News by email.
“A future replacement project that fits into the region’s long-term transportation plan is still being discussed with the City of Surrey.”
The province announced in October 2017 that it would replace the portable, prefabricated bridge with a steel “superstructure” that would “provide reliability for travellers and a longer lifespan.”
READ MORE: Bailey bridge to be replaced by new ‘superstructure’
“And it will allow the ministry to remove the current 10,000 kg-weight restriction for vehicles using the crossing,” a news release issued at the time states.
The full replacement had been anticipated to take six weeks.
Delays over the past year in the work moving ahead have been attributed to a wait for environmental approval from the province, and ongoing discussions with the City of Surrey.
Last month, officials said the ministry “intends to move forward with the project” and that more information was anticipated to be available by the end of this year.
“The plan is still being discussed with the City of Surrey in light of their future, long-term transportation plan,” a statement emailed to PAN by the ministry at that time read.
“We continue to monitor the structure to ensure it remains safe for the travelling public.”
For the duration of next week’s work, traffic northbound on King George Boulevard “will be diverted onto the adjacent two-lane structure” until Nov. 26, Friday’s release states.
The Bailey bridge has been operational since the early 1980s, according to the ministry.
