The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister of Transportation and Works:

New Placentia Lift Bridge

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand and inform this Honourable House of another commitment being met by our government to benefit the people of the province. We are moving forward with the construction of a new vertical lift bridge for Placentia and the surrounding area.

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of being in Placentia with my colleague, the Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs and member for Placentia - St. Mary’s. Along with Mayor Hogan and members of the community I announced a contract award of $40.6 million to HJ O’Connell Ltd for the construction of a new lift bridge.

Mr. Speaker, construction will begin this spring, and will take approximately three years to complete. The work will include construction of new road approaches from Jerseyside and Placentia, and the removal of the existing Sir Ambrose Shea Bridge.

Mr. Speaker, I expressed my thanks to the residents for the patience shown, particularly over the past year, in seeing this work re-tendered, and a competitive bidding process move forward. This resulted in three bids with the successful bid $2.5 million lower than the sole bidder in 2012.

The new bridge is welcome news in Placentia. The existing structure is more than 50 years old, and government will continue with necessary repairs to best ensure that it remains in use while the new bridge is being built.

Mr. Speaker, our government is making strategic investments to support key infrastructure projects throughout the province. These developments serve as catalysts for even greater economic and business activity.

The new bridge in Placentia will support the transportation needs of residents and businesses in the area for many years to come.

Thank you Mr. Speaker.

2013 03 07             1:45 p.m.