Ottawa stalls Harbour Bridge repairs

The federal government says it needs more information before it can decide whether to allow the Saint John Harbour Bridge Authority to borrow money from a financial institution to finance bridge repairs.

The 40-year-old bridge needs about $35 million in work on the decking and walls.

'I find it very difficult to believe the federal government would stand in our way if we were able to come up with the funding.' —Bob McDevitt, Harbour Bridge Authority chairman

"It's frustrating," said Bob McDevitt, chairman of the Harbour Bridge Authority.

"We are definitely stuck. I mean. we're in a situation now where we have to sit down now and look at the legal question of us getting the money without approval of one of the parties in the [four-party] agreement," he said.

"I find it very difficult to believe the federal government would stand in our way if we were able to come up with the funding."

The bridge authority wasn't asking the federal government for money, or even a loan guarantee - just its approval to proceed, said McDevitt.

It had secured a private lender, but in 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.

The province's approval came through in late January and Saint John council gave its approval on Feb. 15.

Ottawa wants detailed borrowing plan

But in a letter to the bridge authority dated March 8, Deputy Minister of Transport Yaprak Baltacioglu requested a detailed borrowing plan first.

It must include "the name of lender, the total loan amount, the interest rate, the duration, the repayment schedule, the guarantee and any other relevant information," she said.

Transport Canada also wants 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.

McDevitt said he found that surprising since there has been talk of removing the debt. He called it "smoke and mirrors.

"I think the federal government is sitting around wanting the province of New Brunswick to take over the Harbour Bridge - and that has nothing to do with the authority…but I think that's a wish that they have and they're playing a hold-up game."

McDevitt said under the agreement, the bridge authority only has to pay down on its debt when it has excess money after all of its expenses have been paid.

"In the last few years, with the amount of work being done on the bridge, there has been no excessive money. So therefore there's been no payment," he said.

'Urgent' need for repairs

"It seems to me that nobody paid any attention to the fact that there's an urgency to get this job done - and that's disappointing," he added.

The bridge is still safe, according to regular checks by engineers, McDevitt stressed.

But if the upcoming construction season is lost, it could compromise the integrity of the structure, resulting in weight restrictions being imposed, bridge authority officials have said.

That would force transport trucks to use the Reversing Falls bridge instead, adding to their travel time and likely resulting in traffic snarls, particularly during rush hour, a recent newspaper ad by the bridge authority suggests.

In addition, some traffic at the border may be diverted to the Houlton crossing, bypassing Saint John altogether, according to the ad, which urged the federal and provincial governments to accept responsibility for the repairs.

"Obviously if you don't get the job done this year that $35 million job is going to grow in price just because the cost in materials is going to grow in price," said McDevitt.

"And that's not even counting what further deterioration to the bridge that takes place."