New Brunswick‘s infrastructure minister says the province may have to make some hard decisions over the coming decades as it confronts its aging bridge infrastructure.
“At some point in time, we need to make a decision. Do we need every structure or are there other options? Some communities may have two structures, maybe they don’t need two any longer,” Minister Jeff Carr told the legislature’s estimates committee last week.
“We have to start thinking about that differently.”
Carr told the committee that it would take $20 billion over the next 20 years to replace or repair all of the province’s bridges to “like-new” condition. New Brunswick’s entire capital budget reached $1 billion for the first time in December and Carr said it’s obviously not feasible to devote the entire amount just to bridges.
The comments come after Liberal infrastructure critic Chuck Chiasson asked about the amount of deferred maintenance on provincial assets. Chiasson said he and many other MLAs see the condition of provincially maintained infrastructure every day in their communities.
“There are some bridges – and I know some of them in my own municipality – that are in pretty rough shape,” he said.
The province has already begun making some hard decisions on infrastructure. Last year the third Nashwaak crossing just north of Fredericton was closed and is being decommissioned. With the Marysville Bridge to the south and Durham Bridge to the north, it was decided that the span on a quiet stretch of Canada Street was no longer needed.
Carr went on to compare the impact of the province’s aging infrastructure to that of its aging population on the health-care system.
“So as people in the province age they have more needs in the health-care system, they need hip and knee replacements,” he said.
“Similarly our bridges and our infrastructure as they get to an age, they need major refurbishments. I wouldn’t say hips and knees, but bearings and decks.”
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