Taylor Bridge’s inspection reports confirm what the locals already knew

The future of the Taylor Bridge isn’t some distant policy debate, it’s a real, immediate concern for people living and working in the Peace.

An op-ed written by Chris Gardner, president and CEO of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association raised serious questions about the condition of the aging structure.

The 65-year-old bridge is not just a piece of infrastructure, it’s a lifeline for industry, agriculture, and everyday travel in northeastern B.C. while it carries Highway 97 across the Peace River, serving as a critical link between Fort St. John and Dawson Creek according to the government.

“Metal fatigue does not reverse, and when steel is cracked, welded, and cracked again it does not return to its original strength,” said Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy at the BC Legislature last month. “In fact, it creates more stress points, which is stated in the reports obtained by the ICBA after they waited nine months for an FOI request of inspection reports.”

According to inspection reports obtained through a Freedom of Information request, the steel structure is showing its age. Gardner points to repeated repairs and ongoing deterioration, including “cracked floor stringers that have been field-welded, re-cracked, and field-welded again,” along with gusset plates suffering from corrosion and a coating system described as “failed and in poor condition.”

“This can only happen so many times to steel until critical failure occurs. Why does this government continue to patch a structurally compromised declining bridge?” Kealy questioned. “I go over this bridge all the time, and I have walked across it and seen holes in the bridge deck bigger than my foot. Truck drivers are saying a prayer before crossing this bridge with their loads. When will the Minister stop relying on patchwork and commit to replacing the Taylor bridge with an upgraded new one that is meant to handle the loads and the capacity of our region, so that we can continue being the powerhouse of this province, because my constituents are demanding answers now”

When you consider the volume of traffic moving across the bridge daily, everything from grain shipments to oversized industrial loads, the relevance of this issue becomes blatantly apparent.

If the bridge were to close or face major restrictions, the impact would be immediate. What is now about an hour’s drive could turn into a trip of more than three hours, adding roughly 175 kilometers and at the center of the issue is a decision, to repair the bridge or replace it.

ICBA argues that continued rehabilitation is the wrong approach. Gardner compares the structure to “a patient in active decline,” noting that new cracks continue to appear even after repairs, and that corrosion is eating directly into the bridge’s structural capacity.

He argued a new bridge could serve the region for decades, while ongoing repairs come with rising costs and diminishing returns, while there’s also a broader concern about timing and government action.

The Taylor Bridge replacement hasn’t been formally included in provincial budgets, even as other major infrastructure projects across B.C. face delays or shifting timelines. Gardner takes aim at what he describes as a pattern of delay, warning that “the Taylor Bridge doesn't have another decade to wait for a decision.”

Whether you agree with ICBA’s position or not, the core issue is hard to ignore. This is a critical piece of infrastructure in one of B.C.’s most productive regions. The longer decisions are delayed, the more pressure builds, not just on the bridge itself but on the communities and industries that depend on it every day.

At some point, the question won’t be whether action is needed, it will be whether it came too late.