It’s not a speed bump.
But it sure does feel like one when you hit it unexpectedly at 50 kilometres per hour.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has installed a “temporary road plate” as part of the Lions Gate Bridge north approach viaduct joint renewal project. The plate allows workers to replace the bridge deck joint underneath and should be gone in the next week and a half.
But whether it’s startling drivers or slowing them down, it’s been a commuter headache, said Peter Ferlow, a West Vancouver resident who works downtown.
“A friend of ours who was coming from Squamish on Monday morning was surprised by it and actually got some air in their car,” Ferlow said with a laugh. “It’s added another 20 or 25 minutes to my commute from downtown. It’s a traffic parking lot from Granville Street on Georgia, all the way to the bridge.”
The project was meant to make the bridge deck smoother and quieter but Ferlow said the completed sections still provide a rough ride.
“The guys with the Porsches and Ferraris and anyone else with low profile tires is getting their fillings knocked out and thinking that their tires are popping,” he said.
Ferlow said he is also concerned about the project getting behind schedule and over budget. The province initially announced a $4.2-million budget for the project in July 2014 and a completion date of fall 2014. The ministry’s website now lists the project cost at $7.6 million and there’s no update on when it should be done or what’s caused the delay.
There was a minor pileup at the north end of the bridge on Wednesday afternoon, according to West Vancouver police, but it’s not clear whether the road plate was a factor, according to Const. Jeff Palmer, West Vancouver police spokesman. As long as people are paying attention and watching their speed, there’s no reason the plate should be a danger, he said.
“There is a lot of signage warning that there is a bump and there are flashing lights at the immediate site of the bump and there’s marking on the speed bump. There’s a great deal of warning,” he said. “People are going to slow down for a lot of reasons on the Lions Gate Bridge and apparently now for the next seven to 11 days, a speed hump is going to be one of those but people should always be alert to what’s in front of them and not be following too closely.”
UPDATE:
The ministry provided the following information on Thursday evening after the North Shore News’ deadline.
Work began in July 2014 and is nearing completion on replacing and eliminating the 25 joints and replacing the 40 bearings of the north approach viaduct of the bridge.
The project is behind schedule due to complications with the fabrication and delivery of required materials.
The budget for the project was never increased. The construction contract award was for $4.2 million, but the total estimated cost of the bridge rehabilitation project including future paving is $7.6 million.
