The pedestrian walkway on Prince Rupert’s Second Avenue Bridge could reopen by the end of this week as work continues toward paving the bridge deck.
The update came during Monday’s Prince Rupert City Council meeting, where chief administrative officer Richard Pucci provided an update on the bridge project.
The project remains on schedule, with the bridge expected to be ready for paving during the first week of September.
The project has faced several challenges, including the complexity of the CN detour, traffic and pedestrian management, coordination with CN operations, revisions to the traffic management approach, additional paving requirements and the sequencing required around the bridge deck and tie-ins.
Despite those challenges, the city said the core bridge construction is expected to remain within its approved budget through the use of the project contingency.
Paving was not included in the original bridge construction budget and will instead be funded through a recently approved allocation from the city’s capital reserve.
The city is also working to reopen the pedestrian portion of the bridge before paving begins.
“We are working to try and get that open actually this week,” Pucci said during Monday’s meeting.
Pucci said the pedestrian walkway can remain open while paving takes place, with the contractor completing its final preparations.
“Unfortunately, the weather has turned, but they’ve gotten all the major things completed,” he said.
The city hopes to have the pedestrian route open by the end of the week, reducing the need for pedestrians to use the temporary route through the park.
Councillor Nick Adey also raised concerns about the condition of the current bypass route during rainy weather.
“The bypass route suffers under the rain,” Adey said, adding that some maintenance would be appreciated while the bridge work is completed.
The bridge project is expected to move toward paving in early September, with the city planning to provide final project costs once all payments have been completed.
