Note: This letter has been edited for length.
Editor:
Lauren Mitchell and Dr. Corkal advocating for a so-called “improvement” to the Agassiz-Rosedale Bridge is mostly unwarranted. The bridge was constructed using appropriate engineering practices and safety guidelines for the time and as far as vehicle traffic safety concerns, I am sure that they are still being met by today’s standards. The bridge has had a recent fatal collision, and although tragic, the collision was not necessarily the fault of the bridge.
The bridge lacks cycling and pedestrian access, making it a hazard for those wanting or needing to cross the river, but the motor vehicle traffic is well provided for. The statement that 12,000 to 13,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily is only a rudimentary estimate and I have doubts about it. This estimate shouldn’t be considered as a legitimate reason supporting a wider or twin bridge. I have also been “stuck in traffic,” almost always by slow-moving farm equipment. We live in a farming community where such activity should be acknowledged and appreciated for the benefits it supplies.
The bridge being twinned would also cover an area of approximately 2.0 or more hectares of producing farmland for on-ramp and off-ramp areas. How can this be justified when the Teacup property just around the corner was so vigorously opposed?
I believe the proposal to have a four-lane highway is inconsistent with the needs of the area. It would increase the speed and danger of traffic travelling across the bridge but not the number of vehicles coming to or leaving the area.
Harrison Hot Springs council needs to rethink their support for the bridge being made into a four-lane throughway and instead support upgrades for the inclusion of cyclist and pedestrian access.
Stephen Begg
Harrison Hot Springs