Latest news with #sidewalk
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
N.B. government says adding sidewalk to resurfaced Miramichi bridge would 'throw it out of balance'
The New Brunswick government says adding a sidewalk to resurfacing plans on Miramichi's Centennial Bridge would throw the entire span 'out of balance.' 'It's not that I don't want a sidewalk,' said Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson, to reporters on Wednesday. 'A sidewalk has to be a separate project, because the safety standards of today kind of dictate what we need to do to rehab that bridge.' On Sunday, about 100 demonstrators gathered on the Centennial Bridge to protest refurbishment plans that don't include a sidewalk. 'The actual sidewalk cannot be attached to the bridge because it will throw it out of balance. It has to be supported from the piers,' said Chiasson. 'We have to have a certain lane width. We have to have certain widths of a breakdown lane and then we have to have obviously the barriers that keep people from driving off the side of the bridge.' Chiasson said the provincial government was speaking with the municipality about the possibility of adding bus passes and water taxis, to address accessibility issues for pedestrians once the refurbishment is complete. In April, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said the sidewalk was removed from bridge refurbishment plans due to financial restraints. On Friday, MLA Michelle Conroy said removing sidewalks from the bridge's refurbishment plan would negatively impact the community. 'The people of Miramichi deserve the independence to safely walk across that bridge,' said Conroy. An estimated 13,000 vehicles cross the Centennial Bridge daily. A full shutdown of the 58-year-old bridge, initially scheduled for this summer, has been delayed to 2026. Bridge Protest Demonstrators are pictured on the Centennial Bridge in Miramichi, N.B., on June 1, 2025. (Nick Moore/CTV Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Construction starts at problematic Central Ave. bridge underpass
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It's been on pause for around a year, but the city is finally restarting work, fixing one of the most notorious stretches of sidewalk in Albuquerque. Story continues below Crime: Parent speaks out after gun found on Albuquerque Public Schools campus Don't Miss: Which ABQ restaurants has Guy Fieri visited on 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives'? National: Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass, calls his election both a cross and a blessing It's been around for almost 100 years, but these days, not a lot of people dare to walk under the railroad tracks on Central Ave. because of problems with campers, drug use, and vandalism. The revamp to fix that is now kicking into high gear. The first step in fixing the downtown portion of the ongoing 'Rail Trail' project is to replace the Central Ave. underpass with a new pedestrian bridge and crossing ramps. 'People for years have crossed at an underpass there, or maybe you've ridden your car under the bridge. We'll now have two ramps that take you up and over that bridge area,' said Terry Brunner, Director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency. On Friday, crews started removing unused railroad tracks at the Central Ave. crossing, where eventually people will be able to walk over. In the coming weeks, they'll pour concrete to form a new 18 to 22-foot-wide ramp up to the bridge, alongside the Alvarado bus station. The updates also include an interactive 'Neon Tumbleweed' art piece that lights up at night.'It's going to provide a lot of very interesting shadowing images, and like I said, we would have images on the pavement that people can ride their bike over, they'll be able to ride and walk through the middle of the sculpture,' said Brunner. Albuquerque City Councilor Joaquín Baca said the project is a big deal. 'Whether you know it's people walking between businesses, between hotels, whether it's people biking across connected to the rail trails or other bike trails. Just general business being able to walk back and forth, it's going to have a huge, huge impact,' said Baca. Some people at the station on Friday said they're also excited for the change, saying the old underpass was not ideal. 'Because it's really hard right now to get to it, you only have one area to get here. If they open up the bridge over here, it's going to give us more access,' said Danny Hardage, train rider. 'Very dangerous down there because there was homeless people staying under there, and at night you didn't know who you were going to run into,' said Matthew Cordova, train rider. The city said the project is estimated to cost between $16 and $18 million. That money is a combination of city and state funding. ABQ Ride said the construction work will also impact at least three of their routes along Central and First Street, starting the week of May 19. To see what routes will be impacted, you can visit their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
