Bridge Project
by Kevin Falcon/Harold Bridge

Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Subject: 160337 - Kicking Horse Canyon Bridge

Dear Harold:

Thank you for your e-mail of September 3, 2007, congratulating my ministry on the construction of a new bridge at Kicking Horse Canyon. I agree it is a beautiful structure, but more importantly it will keep this vital national highway safer and more reliable for all members of the travelling public, motorists and cyclists alike.

My ministry designed all improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway in the Kicking Horse with a keen appreciation of the needs of cyclists, and the cycling community is represented on the project's liaison committee.

Cyclists will benefit from both the reduced grades and exposure to avalanche hazards, as well as specific improvements made with cyclists in mind. These include 2.5 metre-wide paved shoulders, extended height parapets on Park Bridge, and bicycle-safe grates on bridge catch basins.

In developing plans for the new Park Bridge, project staff considered retaining the old bridge and developing the Ten Mile Hill portion of the abandoned highway as a recreational trail. Unfortunately, these plans had to be scaled back because of unacceptably high maintenance costs for such a trail, and the exposure of users to risks due to the continuing possibility of slides on Ten Mile Hill. However, my ministry is developing a western 3-kilometre-long highway remnant as a riverside recreational trail leading from the rest area to a viewpoint.

Also, while we were unable to retain the continuity of the old highway at Park Bridge, we will be examining options for alternate uses of abandoned road bed segments in its future improvement plans.

If you have any additional questions or concerns about this matter, please feel free to contact Murray Tekano, Senior Project Director. You can reach him at
250-344-3820 or by e-mail at Murray.Tekano@gov.bc.ca.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

Best regards,
Kevin Falcon
Minister

Copy to: Murray Tekano, Senior Project Director

Here's Harold's original message:

From: Harold Bridge
Sent: Monday, September 3, 2007 11:45 AM
To: Transportation, Minister TRAN:EX
Subject: 160337

Congratulations on a fine looking structure.
Question: As the pictures on Global did not make clear if there is an adequate shoulder on the new overpass, I would like to know what facility there is for cyclists? It may be that with the major traffic using the overpass the old road can be considered a suitable cycle
route. That ignores, of course, the cost of upkeep of the rock faces that would be required to make it safe.
Thankyou in anticipation of a reply.

Harold Bridge
Port Coquitlam

October 18, 2007