Questions are already being asked about the price tag on a Bailey bridge to temporarily replace the Canning Bridge linking the north and south sides of Marystown.
The cost to lease the temporary one-way span is $5 million, something Mayor Brian Keating admits seems steep, but he’s weighing that against the impact the loss of use of the bridge is having on the town as a whole.
(Canning Bridge: Photo via Flickr Austin Clarke)
Keating says a local citizens’ coalition is quoting prices in the range of $800,000 for a Bailey bridge. “For fire safety, life safety, for the residents on the south side and north side, $5 million is a small number.”
Keating says Ministers Abbott and Pike assure the town that the $5 million is available and construction should begin once they get the various approvals needed from DFO and others.
Keating says a letter-writing campaign has already begun to ensure that the permitting process goes through as quickly as possible.
