When Bert Hawryluk drives out of her farmyard she crosses a bridge.
If she’s driving to Nampa, only a few kilometres away, she crosses two more. If she drives to Peace River she can cross three bridges.
While bridges straddling winding rivers may be picturesque, they are turning into a big hassle for the people of Harmon Valley, in northwestern Alberta. The bridges are falling apart and no one is willing to spend the thousands of dollars needed to fix them, said Hawryluk.
This spring the bridge outside the Hawryluk’s driveway was downgraded from being allowed to carry 29 tons to five tons.
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That means school buses, fuel trucks, grain trucks, water trucks, fertilizer trucks and logging trucks must travel alternate routes, often miles out of their way. So far only one bridge has been downgraded, but it may not be long before others meet the same fate, Hawryluk said.
The problems started a few years ago when the Alberta government began transferring responsibility for repairs and maintenance of bridges to local municipal governments.
Where’s the money
“It’s a nice thought to say the MDs (municipal districts) will look after the bridges, but how does the MD pay for the repairs,” she said.
Hawryluk said her kids could walk across the bridge and down the main road to catch the bus at another farm, but that’s a short-term solution.
Bridge repair costs are supposed to be shared between the MDs and Alberta Transportation, said Jim Schneider, transportation co-ordinator for the MD in the Peace River region.
“But it’s not high on their (Alberta Transportation’s) priority list and the local people don’t have the money to help us out.”
He estimated it would cost about $375,000 to fix the bridge in front of the Hawryluk farm. When the bridge was built, the province used girders that were built incorrectly and they are beginning to crack, he said.
“The money isn’t there any more and we’re stuck with problems Alberta Transportation knew were there.”
Schneider expects the MD will “hound” the government until it kicks in some money, but the Hawryluks may have to wait.
“We just can’t drop $375,000 on a bridge one farmer uses when we got a hell of a lot of roads that need rebuilding,” said Schneider.
“The Hawryluk bunch are a bunch of whiners and complainers. They won’t give up.”
