The City of Kimberley intends to close the Mark Street bridge, near B&B Glass, permanently as of August 28, 2014.
City crews have been rehabbing some of Kimberley’s aging bridges — Marsden Street already done, and this year, the Black Bear bridge is being rehabbed. However, City Chief Administrative Officer Scott Sommerville says that the Mark Street bridge has been deemed too costly to rehabilitate by Council as it serves a very small number of homes. The cost would be upwards of $500,000 to service ten houses.
“The Mark Street bridge was constructed in 1948 and has reached the end of its designed service life,” Sommerville said. “In 2010, the City received an email from Associated Engineering stating that ‘Mark Street bridge is passed its service life and I do not believe rehabilitation will be cost effective’.
“Since this email was received, the City has been monitoring this bridge and have been in constant contact with the engineers. The bridge is no longer safe to use for vehicle traffic, but will continue on in use as a pedestrian bridge until the second phase of the Flume is constructed in 2015.”
Once the flume is done, a pedestrian bridge will be placed in that area, Sommerville says.