Harbour Bridge repairs to proceed without Ottawa

The Saint John Harbour Bridge Authority has voted to go ahead with bridge repairs without the approval of the federal government.

Work should begin in about eight weeks, said general manager Ken Anthony.

The decision comes in light of the provincial government approving a $35-million loan guarantee, which was expected to be announced Thursday, he said.

'In the interest of public safety, now that we have the provincial loan guarantee, the board has decided to go ahead.' —Ken Anthony, Saint John Harbour Bridge Authority

Under the original agreement for the bridge, which dates back to 1966, the authority needs permission from all three levels of government to secure such a loan.

"Technically we do, but in the interest of public safety, now that we have the provincial loan guarantee, the board has decided to go ahead," said Anthony.

Earlier this month, the federal government said it needed more information before it could decide whether to allow the bridge authority to borrow money from a financial institution to finance the repairs.

Urgent repairs required

But the 40-year-old bridge requires urgent work on the decking and walls and if the upcoming construction season had been lost, weight restrictions may have been required, bridge authority officials have said.

That would have forced transport trucks - up to 400,000 a year - to use the Reversing Falls bridge instead, adding to their travel time and likely resulting in traffic snarls, particularly during rush hour.

In addition, some traffic at the border may be diverted to the Houlton crossing, bypassing Saint John altogether.

Tenders will go out immediately, said Anthony.

Meanwhile, negotiations between the province and the federal government about ownership and tolls can continue, he said.

"Those discussions can still take place. The work that we're doing needs to be done no matter what. Whether who owns the bridge, when it's owned, who pays for what, if there's tolls or no tolls, the work still has to be done.

"So we'll get that part of the work done and the other debate can continue on."

In a letter to the bridge authority dated March 8, Deputy Minister of Transport Yaprak Baltacioglu requested a detailed borrowing plan, including "the name of lender, the total loan amount, the interest rate, the duration, the repayment schedule, the guarantee and any other relevant information."

Transport Canada also wanted the authority's $22 million debt repayment to the federal government to be included in its revised budget as a line item, as well as confirmation that toll revenues will cover both the bank loan and debt, Baltacioglu said.