City looking for grant funding to repair KVR bridge

Merritt City Council has approved a grant application to fund the repairs to the KVR pedestrian bridge west of town.

If successful, the grant application will fund 100 per cent of the project which will cost approximately $80,000.

The KVR Pedestrian Bridge crosses the Nicola River just before the Coldwater and Nicola Rivers meet. The pedestrian bridge connects to the Coldwater River Trail.

“In April 2020, a bridge inspection report completed by Watson Engineering indicated that the structural integrity of the bridge was damaged due to erosion of the concrete footings supporting the bridge. They recommended temporary emergency repairs due to Freshet timing. The inspection report is included in the attached grant application,” said Public Works Superintendent Charlie Henderson.

“The project is a retrofit and repair of infrastructure damage, due to freshet erosion, to the footings of the KVR Pedestrian Bridge,” added Henderson.

If approved, the work would be done during the summer, allowing all activities to occur above the water with no impact or disruption to aquatic habitat or water flow.

– Written by Michael Reeve

news@Q101.ca

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