性视界传媒 Mayor Linda Hepner said she 鈥渢ook one for the team鈥� after falling and cutting her head open during a tour of the aging Pattullo Bridge on Friday.

鈥淚 was walking on the sidewalk and I fell into the handrail which was lucky because had I fallen the other direction it would鈥檝e been in traffic,鈥� she said after walking off the 80-year-old crossing.

The goal of the tour was to show 鈥渨hy it鈥檚 critical funding is secured this year in order to replace the 80-year-old bridge by 2023,鈥� according to a TransLink release.

鈥淭here could not be a better message that I took one for the team to show that this bridge needs to be replaced,鈥� said Hepner of her tumble.

Linda Hepner is bleeding from her head after media tour across Pattullo Bridge. "I'll do anything to show u this Bridge needs to be replaced

鈥� 性视界传媒 Now-Leader (@性视界传媒NowLeader)

With a bandaid covering her cut, Hepner says she "took one for the team" and it shows how badly Pattullo needs to be replaced

鈥� 性视界传媒 Now-Leader (@性视界传媒NowLeader)

The media tour Friday aimed to highlight the deterioration of the 80-year-old Pattullo Bridge ahead of this , which will see it closed from from 9 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday to allow for crews to repair the deck on the south end of the bridge.

Hepner said in her first conversation with Premier-Designate John Horgan she will bring up the bridge.

鈥滻 know they know the urgency,鈥� she added. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping we can have a plan of action very soon.鈥�

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During the upcoming weekend closure, many repairs will be made.

Bob Moore, construction manager for the Pattullo Bridge rehabilitation, led media along the aging bridge as traffic flew by and the bridge rumbled.

Potholes resulting from the particularly cold winter are the main issue. Though they have been patched, the upcoming closure is required to better repair the underlying concrete deck.

Moore stopped to point out a post base that needs to be replaced. Five will be replaced, he added.

鈥淭hese are the original ones from the 1930s that have finally got to the point where they鈥檙e not structurally sufficient鈥� and then there鈥檚 a number of other issues we鈥檙e dealing with (this weekend), warranty issues with the rehabilitated deck鈥�. sealing the deck,鈥� he explained.

Moore said every 18 to 24 months, a structural consultant inspects the railings which are still the originals from the 1930s.

鈥淎 lot of people ask us why don鈥檛 you just replace it, why keep repairing it? Well we鈥檝e got lead-based paint in here so if we replace the whole railing system we鈥檇 have to fully contain it鈥�. It would be a very expensive operation.鈥�

Road markers and reflectors are also part of the weekend鈥檚 upgrades.

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鈥淥ne of the safety upgrades that we do normally, is if you look at the yellow curbs on the side of the bridge - they鈥檙e partly yellow and partly black鈥� typically within 24 hours (of painting them), 50 per cent of that curb line has got tire rubber on it. So within 24 hours that鈥檚 been impacted by the traffic. It鈥檚 an indication of the geometry of the bridge and the tightness of the lanes. There鈥檚 just not enough room there.鈥�

Moore also pointed to a hole in the sidewalk near a post, which will be repaired this weekend.

鈥淭his damage here, this is the old original sidewalk from the 1930s. This was probably done with rebar鈥�. The rebar has rusted, causing the sidewalk to break up that鈥檚 why you have the damage there.鈥�

But there are much larger concerns than railings and sidewalk repairs, Moore explained.

鈥淭he stuff we see physically, that鈥檚 one thing, but the bigger threat is what we can鈥檛 see, which is in the river,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne of the things is the river, this is a really dynamic river at this location. The actual river bed is always moving鈥�. so twice a year we go in and we do survey of the river to determine what impact it鈥檚 having on the bridge. And about 10 years ago based on the survey we had to come in and put big rocks around a couple of the piers to stop them getting undermined by the river. There鈥檚 been times when the river bed has actually moved by up to 20 feet in this location. To add to that problem, you鈥檝e got the rail bridge that鈥檚 very close to us鈥�. and the two are connected underneath. Anything we do to our bridge around the piers affects the rail bridge and vice versa.鈥�

Seismic and wind load issues are also concerns.

鈥淭hose are all structural issues that can鈥檛 get resolved by replacing railings and things.鈥�

After the media tour, TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said there鈥檚 a tight timeline to get the replacement bridge complete for 2023.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got the design all set, we鈥檝e worked through both the cities of New Westminster and 性视界传媒 on the design of the approach ramps to the bridge. So we鈥檙e ready to go. We鈥檙e really anxious next week to get started with the conversations with the new provincial government and put a full financing package together. To stay on schedule we need to put this project out for commercial procurement by October.鈥�

He acknowledged there鈥檚 a tight timeline.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a number of steps along the way but that means its fairly urgent to get the final financing plan put in plan.鈥�

The premise was that that replacement bridge be tolled, but the NDP have vowed to eliminate tolls.

What does that mean?

鈥淲e obviously have to have a conversation with the government,鈥� said Desmond. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had informal conversations, and clearly the tolling policy that was part of the NDP campaign, it affects how we finance the bridge. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 all the more urgent we have that conversation. I鈥檓 confident the new government understands the urgency of this project.鈥�

Desmond said replacement cost is not yet known until a full business case is done, which is expected to be done by August.

鈥淗ere we are near the end of July, just getting a new government, (we will) negotiate with the new government for the next six weeks or so on the financing plan, approve the business plan鈥�. go out to procurement in October, ideally then we鈥檇 have a bridge replaced by 2023.鈥�

Since 1999, TransLink has spent more than $50 million to extend the bridge鈥檚 life span and is currently completing preliminary design work for a replacement.

It鈥檚 estimated that everyday more than 80,000 vehicles cross the bridge, which was built in 1937.

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