‘Old bridge held by field welds’: Five-year inspection reports reveal necessity of new Taylor Bridge, says ICBA

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A B.C. and Alberta association believes the longer the B.C. government waits to replace the Taylor bridge, the more expensive it will become. 

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) submitted a request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOI) for inspection reports from June 9th, 2020 to June 9th, 2025 for the Taylor Bridge. 

In an opinion piece written by ICBA’s CEO and president Chris Gardner, he said: “A 65-year-old steel bridge is barely holding together the Peace River corridor and economy – and it’s only getting more expensive to replace it.” 

According to the B.C. government website, the bridge was built in 1960 as a key link over the Peace River between Fort St. John and Dawson Creek. It is now part of the Alaska Highway, with current traffic volumes standing at approximately 7,500 vehicles per day. 

“The reports imply the government is leaning toward rehabilitation rather than replacement. ICBA believes that is the wrong call,” Gardner said, saying B.C. “owes the Peace region a replacement, a timeline and a commitment.” 

In the opinion piece, he noted several issues raised in the bridge inspection reports, including issues repaired multiple times.

“Cracked floor stringers that have been field-welded, re-cracked and field-welded again,” he wrote of the repairs. “Gusset plates – the steel connection nodes that hold the entire truss together – with confirmed material loss from decades of corrosion. A coating system described by the government’s own engineers as failed and in poor condition.'”

Gardner alleges although the concrete substructure is “sound,” he described the steel superstructure “like a patient in active decline waiting to see a specialist.” 

He said: “The fatigue cracks keep appearing at new locations no matter how many are drilled and welded.

“The coating has failed, lead-based paint is on nearly every tested surface, and the original design included no sacrificial steel allowance – meaning every millimetre of corrosion eats directly into the structural margin with no buffer.” 

He described the Taylor Bridge as an “old bridge being held together by field welds while engineers work toward ‘identifying a preferred course of action.'”

In June 12th, 2025, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit started geotechnical studies on the north and south banks of the Peace River, calling it “part of the development of a long-term solution for the future of Taylor Bridge.”

In a written statement to Energeticcity.ca, the ministry said it recognizes the significance of the Taylor Bridge to northeastern B.C. and to the province.

It added: “The project remains in the planning and options analysis phase, and until decisions are made, costs and construction timelines have not been determined.

“Property acquisition for key parcels is underway. Once properties are acquired, the ministry plans on performing needed archaeological and soil characterization works this year.” 

The ministry said the planning and technical work continues, including engineering studies, geotechnical investigations, First Nations consultation, stakeholder engagement and concept plan development.

Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy last year brought up the issue of the Taylor Bridge in the Legislative Assembly of B.C., saying the people of the Peace region were promised a new bridge decades ago. 

Kealy told Energeticcity.ca: “We know that it is fatigued to the point where it should not be repurposed.” 

He told Energeticcity.ca he has been pushing for a replacement four-lane bridge, which he says would be able to handle more load based on the region’s needs. 

He said: “If they did choose to go for a bigger bridge, they need to make sure that the footings for the bridge and the approaches [are] secure.” 

But he is concerned about how the government would afford a new bridge. 

“I also know this government is broke and with a $13.3 billion deficit, I don’t know whether or not they’re going to have the funds to even contemplate doing the bridge right now, especially when we see they just rejected a care home for our region,” Kealy added. 

B.C.’s 2026 budget included construction delays to several long-term care homes in the province, including an expansion to the Peace Villa in Fort St. John. 

Through the opinion piece, ICBA calls for Taylor Bridge to be replaced rather than restored. 

Gardner said: “Building infrastructure is not just another government program and delay is not fiscal prudence.

“We need a focus on execution and delivery at a time when the strategic imperative to invest in infrastructure, capitalize on our energy and resource advantage, and get our goods to markets faster, has never been greater.”