Courtenay’s 6th Street Active Transportation Bridge project rolls past finish line

The City of Courtenay has made it official: the 6th Street Active Transportation Bridge is now open to the public.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday at Simms Millennium Park, drawing hundreds to see the new community amenity. Many attendees also tested the bridge by bike on their way to the event.

Bob Wells told the crowd discussions about building the bridge began in earnest at the community level 20 years ago.

“This bridge is an important investment in our downtown district and supporting community connectivity, helping people move safely between neighbourhoods, trails, parks and local businesses,” Wells said.

The project was completed three months ahead of schedule and came in $400,000 under its $10.7-million budget.

The project was also supported by provincial and federal grant funding, including a $2.5-million grant from the federal Active Transportation Fund, which Wells said was the largest active transportation grant ever issued by the federal government.

The four-metre-wide, cable-stayed bridge was designed to be universally accessible and connects Sixth Street with Simms Park.

Judy Norbury, of the Comox Valley Accessibility Committee, also spoke at Friday’s event.

She said the project is a major step forward for accessibility in the community.

“There’s various people who think it (the project) was not money well spent,” Norbury said. “Well, it affects a lot of disabled people.”

At the ceremony, Wells also praised Surespan Group for its work on the project and for completing the bridge ahead of schedule.