r/MapleRidge • u/Saaquin • 3d ago
A Better Maple Ridge campaign announcement from October 13. They will start design and engineering for a new bridge between 240 and Fern Crescent
From their post on facebook:
We want to make sure you can get home faster and safer, that's why we are committed to starting design and engineering work to build the 240th bridge to Silver Valley. So when provincial and federal money comes through we are shovel ready.
Having an additional access point for Silver Valley not only gets you moving faster, it's a safe route out in case of emergencies. This project has been sitting on the books for years, and it's time we get it moving forward.
Cities that show up to funding applications with design work already done get taken more seriously and move faster.
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u/Ready-Mango7717 3d ago
There’s a joke in here about selling you a bridge, saying and doing aren’t the same thing but good luck with that one
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u/ForsakenArmadillo97 3d ago
I live near 240th and fern… they’ve not even discussed procurement of land from the landowners… they’re my neighbours and their house would need to be torn down for the bridge to go through… make of this promise what you will 🤣
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u/Campandfish1 3d ago
They've been talking about building a bridge there for years
It's referenced in these articles from 2021 and even a decade ago
https://mapleridgenews.com/2017/12/19/river-development-proposal-has-maple-ridge-group-up-in-arms/
But it's never made it to full approval. Curious if something has changed, or if these residents might get "Coast Meridian-ed" like the people who got forced to sell when the overpass went in on PoCo and now have concrete walls and a bridge 10 feet from their front windows.
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u/divineblissx 2d ago
Oh man, I remember them talking about that bridge 20 years ago when I lived off of 240th.
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u/Bogdanovist_Rebel 3d ago
Governments don’t need to negotiate. 😉
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u/ForsakenArmadillo97 3d ago
It’s not even about negotiating haha no land assessment has been completed, no surveying, no route planning, no environmental studies haha literally nothing has been done. This is a pipe dream at this point. Also good luck in securing that provincial/ federal funding right now 🤣
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u/Alternative_Youth313 3d ago
Live up in rock ridge, I’d rather sit in traffic 😅
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u/divineblissx 3d ago
I'm just curious as to why you'd be against a connecting bridge? We're in desperate need of an alternative route out of there, god forbid we ever have to evacuate
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u/Alternative_Youth313 3d ago
I moved to rock ridge for less people, another crossing means more people in our area. An emergency evacuation would suck though your right!
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u/divineblissx 3d ago
The bridge would alleviate a lot of the traffic going down fern crescent as most/all of east MR would be using it
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u/Bogdanovist_Rebel 3d ago
So even more people can jamb into the park? I guess we will be on a pass system during the week now too. It’s been 7 years since I’ve had access to the park 10 minutes from my home.
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u/divineblissx 3d ago
The people jamming up the park are typically out of towners thanks to social media exposure. I don't think the bridge is going to make it any busier than it already is lol
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u/Unfair-Can-8658 3d ago
You could always plan ahead and book a park pass during the months that you're required to have one.
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u/Bogdanovist_Rebel 3d ago
Have to plan ahead for the park 10 minutes from my home? That’s hilarious. Kind of like TransLink trying to run a bus up there on weekends only to be told it’s a waste of money.
I’ll just continue going elsewhere (won’t say here because secrets are secrets) or Wells Gray.
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u/Unfair-Can-8658 3d ago
Living close to the park doesn't give you any kind of inherent right to access whenever you feel like it.
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u/Bogdanovist_Rebel 3d ago
Then don’t expect me to support a secondary entrance into the park. Not that it’ll ever happen. Been hearing about this bridge for close to 20 years now.
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u/Red0rWhite 3d ago
Something to consider is that the bridge would divert traffic from our neighborhood returning it to quiet enclave we all bought.
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u/RightContest562 3d ago
Why do we need this?
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u/No-Transportation843 3d ago
Because there's only one exit from silver valley and it gets jammed up easily. In an emergency, people would be stuck north of the river. It will also allow more development, which contributes to cheaper housing and tax revenue in maple ridge, allowing the city to fund more leisure and services including better healthcare and schools
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u/No-Transportation843 3d ago
Why would they wait until the election to announce this? They should have been doing this already
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u/Brodie9jackson 3d ago
This has been in the works for almost a decade, but you can’t proceed until they could punch Abernathy through 240th.
Yes timing is a bit strategic, but it’s also a reminder that they have been working towards this and it’s nothing new
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u/No-Transportation843 3d ago
They don't need the east-west abernethy connection, they could just go north-south on 240 and traffic can go down to Dewdney trunk. Abernethy is important but isn't required for the bridge.
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u/Full-Post-4024 3d ago
The key here "once we receive provincial or federal funding" - this probabilities is close to zero now. And they want to spend our money already, without any funding.
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u/showerfart1 3d ago
Bob D’Eith and Bhupinder Johal came to my home campaigning and this was one of the things I asked. I wonder if this was a common enough question to prompt them to post on it. My original question was around the 256 St industrial park and Abernathy Way extension.
Traffic in this town sucks enough right now.
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u/Feeling_Apricot 3d ago
If can't secure funding a transit bridge, at least a Pedestrian bridge would be great.
Also, would be great to bring back the Albion ferry to Ft Langley.
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u/Thesandsoftimerun 3d ago
The Albion ferry has no economic case, but a pedestrian water taxi/water bus to Fort Langley would be awesome
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u/Full-Post-4024 3d ago
Funny how this page is pushing a "Bitter Maple Ridge" uniparty so hard. This "party" consists of federal libs and ndp, which already pushed our country and province deep into debt, deficit, endless borrowing, unemployment and poverty.
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u/westbestwest 3d ago
Any funding from the Province or Federal governments would most likely require the municipality also contribute fund. Equating to higher taxes on top of the mutli-year recreational taxes. Better Maple Ridge needs to really "sharpen their pencils"
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u/Campandfish1 3d ago
ARMS ain't gonna like this one.
I would love easy access to GEPP from the East side though.