In a piece of expert photography done exclusively for Voice New Westminster, we are able to graphically show visitors to this site the deterioration that has occurred to a portion of the Skytrain bridge situated above Front St. in New Westminster. With the chunks of fallen concrete that have been recovered by people in the area, and corroborated by our pictures, it is very clear that there is a significant safety issue for workers in the area, as well as for vehicles and pedestrians traveling through the area.
Voice New Westminster also feels that the public must have assurance and confidence regarding the safety of passenger movement on the bridge. We call on TransLink to send in an independent team of structural engineers to inspect the bridge.
Mayor Wayne Wright's response to the situation, frankly, puzzles Voice New Westminster. His tying in of the Pattullo Bridge and North Fraser Perimeter Road to the Skytrain Bridge situation is consistent with his erratic voting record on regional transportation issues.
The Skytrain Bridge issue is very different from the other two, a fact that the Mayor should know full well, given that he was a director of the Greater Vancouver Transit Authority (GVTA) and Skytrain for most of his 5 1/2 years on council. The Mayor was on the board of the body responsible for Skytrain and it's maintenance.
His attempt to shift the blame is consistent also with the lack of knowledge on transportation issues that he has displayed. New Westminster's transportation needs have been poorly served by this Mayor's pandering to special interests in order to enhance his own political position.
Check out the Voice website for some up-close pictures of the damage.
C.C.
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12 comments:
I have seen the news coverage on this on tv, and it was also in the local newsleader paper. The problem is twofold, it's about faulty construction, and worse, its about the faulty maintenance of decaying infrastructure. The skytrain bridge is only 20 years old. As a rule, properly mixed and poured concrete should only ever harden and get stronger with age. Public safety should be paramount, why is it not? No doubt, the politicians in charge of overseeing these things are not regular transit users otherwise they might pay closer attention to their duties and be more responsible. Neglect of vital infrastructure should never happen. It is alarming that concrete chunks are falling away from the bridge -- I hope people get that! And it is of little comfort that the 71-year-old Patullo Bridge remains an option to skytraining over the Fraser River. Speaking of which, in 10 years, the Patullo will be replaced by a new toll bridge-- honestly, what kind of non-announcement is that?!
Hopefully these pictures can be viewed metaphorically as the future of Wrong Way Wright and his cronies.
Cronies is right. In this case the chief crony is Derek Corrigan. Wright takes his orders from Corrigan on all regional matters.
It has become an open joke with Metro Vancouver Directors.
This is how he stays onside with the District Labor Council.
Great pictures!!
Speaks volumes, unlike church-mouse Wright.
"Church-mouse Wright" is right, too. I've heard that is how he conducts himself on the Metro Vancouver Waste Management Committee. That's the committee that would know about any incinerator plans or plans of Metro having an interest in that Braid site. Yup, but he was in the dark on that, right?!
Some of those photographs of the bridge are very alarming. What a great job of bringing this issue to public attention.
You guys have outdone the press.
I definitely will not be travelling under that bridge.
Keep up the good work.
BC Hydro inspects hydro dams twice a year. Chicken Little inspects Skytrain bridges once every twenty years when it starts falling on his head. Doesn't inspire confidence in me to ride that transit system! I'll take the car thank you high gas prices or not!
Why do we keep electing morons to positions of trust for the best interest of the people when all they care about is payback to their buddies who pay their ticket.
Obviously the skytrain bridge was shoddy construction substandard materials and who's buddy built it?
Once again Paul Johansen was in the right place at the right time only this time a 40 pound piece of concrete almost took his head off. Why is it left up to a private citizen to make the powers that be aware of the fact the skytrain bridge is falling apart. Who ever's responsibility it is for inspecting these bridges should be fired and hire Mr Johansen at least he cares enough to look.
If the Patullo Bridge had started dropping concrete chunks when it was 20 years old, by now, there would be nothing left of it. This, what is happening with the skytrain bridge, is serious. Remember the bridge collapse in Minneapolis? I bet they wish they had had a few chunks of falling concrete to warn them. Pointing to shoddy construction as the reason for this dilemma does not absolve negligent upkeep and inspections. The falling concrete should have been "caught" by those in charge, not by joe-q-private citizen. That said, thank you again Mr. J. It is inspiring to know that there is someone on the peoples side.
I understand that Translink doesn't want to "scare" the public -but my information is that Translink has known of this falling concrete problem for some time. If they had dealt with the issue in a timely manner, this would not have come to light. The entire skytrain system is elevated and is on concrete pillars. How often are inspection and maintenance completed?
I have even greater concerns than before about our section of the perimeter road being under the jurisdiction of Translink. Before, my concern was a lack of money to complete it properly (the City's preference was a tunnel). Now I have concerns that it won't be completed safely. Bridges aren't the only thing that collapse under stress, tunnels do as well.
The Derek Corrigan/Wayne Wright connection isn't news, but it's probably something Wright wants to keep secret from more than a few of his blind supporters (the same way he tries to keep the support he gets from the Labour Council secret). It's not difficult to figure out that Wright takes his cues from Corrigan if you take a look at his voting record. People just need to open their eyes. Too bad for New Westminster that a lot of befuddled Wright supporters keep themselves in a state of denial about Wright and his pact with the Labour Council.
If you look at Wright's history, he has little to show for in terms of successes that mark a carreer. A few business ventures, most failed, some at best are marginal.
But he is a good promoter. He promotes himself. As with all of these types, vision, truth, open-ness, honesty, all become casualties. It is all operated on who knows who, the in-crowd gets rewarded, and everybody else becomes the enemy.
Wright's record speaks for itself: aging infrastructure, no new amenity projects, high taxes,
staff discord, you could go on and on.
If your name is more than six letters long, he will not be able to prononce it
The guy is a charlaten, a scoundrel. His projects seldom have financial statements when they end. Accountability simply is an irritant to this wacko.
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