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Williams Lake city council awards contract for bridge removal from river valley

Remaining river valley recreational trail bridges damaged in floods to be removed
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One of the recreational bridges sitting in the Williams Lake River Valley still to be removed after flood damage led the city to install bridges with the capacity for heavy equipment and full-sized vehicles. (City of Williams Lake image)

Williams Lake city council has awarded a contract to Quality Excavating for up to $51,000 to move the remaining surplus bridges within the Williams Lake river valley to a central location.

Bridges damaged and removed after the flooding in April of 2020 have been the subject of intensive work to find purchasers or have removed from the valley, as work continues in the area to replace the smaller recreational bridges with larger ones sufficient for heavy equipment access to facilitate ongoing repairs to infrastructure.

Some of the surplus bridges have been sold or donated already, including one installed on the Gold Rush Snowmobile Trail (GRST).

This rail car bridge was removed in one piece and installed along the GRST at the Fiftyseven Creek crossing, which is a high-value fish-bearing stream.

After the successful transportation and installation of this bridge along the GRST, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development – Recreation Sites and Trails Branch requested another of the surplus bridges be donated for recreational use.

Mayor and council then voted unanimously in favour of the donation at the June 7, 2022 regular council meeting.

Donating the bridge will save the city up to an estimated $3,500 in costs to move the bridge in the river valley.

The remaining bridges will be moved by Quality Excavating to a spot beyond the city’s waste water lagoons where they will be easier to access.

Two bridges were also already sold through BC Bid, though decking and railings were stolen from one of the bridges prior to being removed, and the city will now have to offer replacement deck and railings.

The bridges were sold for $5,100 and $2,600, respectively.

Read more: City of Williams Lake weighs how to proceed with Dog Creek Road



ruth.lloyd@wltribune.com

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Ruth Lloyd

About the Author: Ruth Lloyd

After moving back to Williams Lake, where I was born and graduated from school, I joined the amazing team at the Williams Lake Tribune in 2021.
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