Mason meets with mayor about bridge repair frustration
MINISTER SAYS THERE ARE NO PLANS FOR THIRD BRIDGE
Alberta’s Transportation Minister Brian Mason acknowledged he had heard the criticisms levelled at Alberta Highways by Mayor Chris Spearman last week, and he had addressed them with the mayor and council when he met with them on Monday.
“We had a great discussion with the mayor and city council (Monday) morning,” said Mason, “and kind of set the record straight in terms of the length of delay there, four weeks instead of four months, and they also had some suggestions in terms of variable speeds, which we agreed to look it. Occasionally mayors get a little frustrated, and that’s normal, but we have an excellent working relationship with Mayor Spearman, and we are going to continue to work together to solve these problems as we go.”
Spearman had characterized the bridge repairs on Highway 3 as a missed opportunity for Alberta Highways to add a much-needed third lane across the bridge and repair the problematically short off-ramp from Bridge Drive onto the highway. Spearman had also mentioned the potential for four months of delays caused by the project, and said the government could have made a better choice.
“They had the option of actually addressing the capacity issue of that bridge, and chose not to,” Spearman said at the time. “And that is disappointing. It’s a major inconvenience, and there will be very little benefit once the work is done.”
Mason said he understood why the mayor would have wanted a bigger project completed, but he also explained to the mayor and council the budget realities the government is facing across the province.
“We have to prioritize the projects we have, and in this particular case the bridge needed a repair,” said Mason. “It’s not like we are saying (three lanes) is not going to happen, but right now our priority is to fix the bridge and make sure it’s safe, and to make the most efficient use of it.”
Mason said all lanes on Hwy. 3 should be open again within the month, and in the meantime asked drivers heading down the highway to be courteous as they move through the construction zone.
“We want to merge using both lanes, and alternate merging, rather than form one single, long line all the way up the hill,” explained Mason. “And then when someone comes down in the right lane right to the front, nobody will let them in.”
Mason was also asked if the much talked about third bridge for Lethbridge was in the cards in the near future. Mason said it wasn’t.
“There is absolutely no plans at the present time to go ahead with a third bridge,” he confirmed, “but we are always open for the discussions. My sense is (city) council wants to move toward widening the existing highway and the bridge there. It’s not that people are saying we don’t want the third bridge, but it is a matter of timing. And it is a matter of budget — (bridges) are pretty expensive.”