The latest inspection of the Johnston Bridge shows the corrosion of the bridge is worse than originally known.
Coun. Mitch Vik, chair of the Executive Committee, shared an update on the Johnston Bridge with council Dec. 1.
At the most recent committee meeting on Nov. 25, Chris Coben, the city’s director of infrastructure and capital works, provided an update after a recent follow-up inspection of the bridge, which has been closed to industrial traffic since October 2018.
“Unfortunately, the inspection revealed that both ends of the bridge, in terms of girders and beams, have suffered corrosion; whereas, the initial inspection that happened in early 2020 revealed that only the north end of the bridge was affected,” said Vik. “With this new information in hand, staff will soon provide council with clear options for remediating the bridge and for what purpose and capability.”
A 10,000-kilogram load restriction has been in place since early October 2018, when a routine inspection revealed the downtown bridge, which goes across the Quesnel River, is structurally compromised. Since then, industrial traffic has been detoured through Red Bluff via Plywood Road and Maple Drive.
The bridge is still open to vehicles that weigh less than 10,000 kilograms and to pedestrians and cyclists.
READ MORE: Load restrictions on Quesnel’s Johnston Bridge unlikely to end soon
editor@quesnelobserver.com
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