Who is responsible for bridge work's 'massive screw-up?': Coon

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Green party Leader David Coon calls the need for further repairs to the Princess Margaret Bridge a “massive screw-up” and said the public is still waiting to hear how it happened and who is responsible.

The span over the St. John River in Fredericton is expected to close for up to five weeks this spring to repair the work done last summer.

Coon said outside the legislature on Wednesday that he understands why it needs to close for repairs – he said he lives near it and drives it regularly – but that Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Richard Ames should have to answer for it.

“Clearly there was a massive screw-up in the work that was done last year on the Princess Margaret Bridge,” Coon said. “It wasn’t done correctly, and now it’s having to be redone.

“A question that needs to be answered by the minister responsible for transportation and infrastructure is: why? What happened? How did such poor work get through the process?”

The bridge was fully reopened last fall following repairs that left visible dips on the bridge caused by the expansion joints not being on the same level as the newly tarred surface.

The dips caused drivers to slow down well below the posted 70-km/h speed limit, impacted rush-hour commutes, and led to concerns from motorists about damage to vehicles.

After the initial round of work, crews were back at it in late October, attempting to fix the dips.

At that time, Ames shrugged off questions from the Liberals about the repair work, saying “everything’s great.” He later admitted the work wasn’t finished and said the province would “complete the job” sometime this year.

“The question is what happened?” said Coon. “I can tell you it’s rugged going over that bridge now. They had better not be paying more money to get it fixed because it was a screw-up to begin with last year.”

In fact, according to the province’s online procurement database, the lowest tender for the work is $2.57 million – well above the estimate that pegged it at $1.5 million.

The department said it is now evaluating the bids.

Ames, meanwhile, hasn’t responded to requests for comment.

The city is timing its nearby roadwork to start after the bridge’s expected completion by mid-June, but Liberal Leader Susan Holt said Wednesday the long closure will still be “challenging for Frederictonians.”

“It’s going to create a lot of congestion and challenges for residents and businesses alike,” she said. “I remember Minister Ames talking last fall about how the bridge was fine, when it wasn’t fine. Five weeks is a long time for a primary route to be closed, and I hope DTI is doing everything they can to accelerate the fix.”