Dear Minister,
I am a resident of the Town of Golden and have viewed with increasing perplexity what appears to be an almost complete lack of progress of the main Kicking Horse River bridge.
This project was begun in the spring of 2024 and appeared to be progressing well. However, throughout the whole of 2025, very little work seems to have been accomplished, and the massive crane on the site has basically sat idle for months and months.
As taxpayers, we naturally have an interest in ensuring that taxpayer money is not being wasted. It seems to me that the delay in having any appreciable forward progress on this project is costing significant money, since it is more cost-effective to have a crew stay on site and complete a project once it has started than to shut construction down constantly.
Who is paying the cost to have that crane sit idle? Is the contractor absorbing that cost, or is the taxpayer?
I have examined the information on the website of the Ministry of Transportation devoted to this project. There is no useful information on that site as to why this project is so delayed. In fact, I frankly find the site quite misleading, as it states that during the spring of 2025, there was “limited activity” due to “high spring runoff and regulatory requirements.”
I have lived in Golden for close to forty years, and spring runoff this year was no different than usual. What regulatory requirements are meant, and why were these not dealt with before the project was initiated?
The site also says that “critical structural components” were delivered to the site in August of 2025. Why did it take more than a year to deliver such components after the project commenced?
I think it is quite clear that the website is seeking to cover up the real story. I have no confidence that your Ministry is on top of this project.
I have also spoken to the editor of the local newspaper. It is clear that her attempts to chase down this story and report on it for the people of Golden have been rebuffed as all your Ministry has done is [little more than] refer her to the website, which is frankly a masterpiece of equivocation.
Accordingly, at this time, I am seeking, as a taxpayer, a truthful account of the state of this project and assurance that these ridiculous delays are not at the cost of the taxpayer. Also, you should inquire into the management of this project within your Ministry to determine why such inefficiency has been permitted.
Yours truly,
Bruce Fairley
Golden, BC
