The 5th Street Bridge in Courtenay is open again to two-way traffic after upgrades over the last year. (City of Courtenay)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

OPEN AGAIN

Iconic Courtenay 5th Street bridge reopens for two-way traffic

Feb 17, 2022 | 11:11 AM

COURTENAY — After months of construction and endless challenges, the finish line is in site for a major bridge upgrade.

Two-way traffic resumed on the 5th Street bridge in Courtenay, signalling a major step towards completion on the iconic landmark.

Courtenay mayor Bob Wells said the upgrades to the bridge extends its life and puts the City in a better position moving forward.

“We invested $6 million to get us a long way into the future,” Wells said. “Replacing the bridge would have cost probably over $30 million and the City just doesn’t have those kind of funds or frankly the assets to be able to borrow that much money.”

Temporary signage at the site is being removed, as is the priority lane for transit and emergency vehicles.

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The site will continue to be cleaned up over the coming weeks as crews remove more equipment, signage and materials.

Rehabilitation of the bridge involved removal of old, decaying lead paint and re-coating all the steel beams on the bridge. The road surface was redone to complete the face lift.

One thing which didn’t change was the bridge’s iconic green colour.

“I love the colour, I love the fact over 50 per cent of people who participated in the survey…really wanted to keep that green colour rather than going to other alternative colours,” Well said.

He added the project suffered several challenges since getting underway in April 2021. Wells highlighted labour shortages, the pandemic and extreme weather are hurdles crews were forced to clear.

Federal and provincial grants accounted for $1.96 million of the $6.5 million budget with the City was forced to borrow $3.4 million for the project.

— with files from Jon de Roo, 97.3 The Eagle

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Iconic Courtenay 5th Street bridge reopens for two-way traffic

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