With the new eastbound portion of the Tappen bridge up, the old two-way bridge will be coming down.
In an update on the Ford Road to Tappen Valley Road Highway 1 project east of Salmon Arm, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said the eastbound section of bridge opened to traffic on Friday, Nov. 22. The new structure will serve traffic going in both directions until the west-bound structure is constructed.
"The old Tappen Overhead will be dismantled and replaced with a new west-bound bridge," said the ministry in an email to the Observer. "The construction team is preparing to demolish the old bridge and replace with a new west-bound bridge."
The new and yet to be constructed two-lane structures are part of the ongoing work to four-lane a 4.3 kilometre section of the highway. The project includes construction of a new eastbound commercial vehicle pullout, a new frontage road system, a modified protected T intersection at Tappen Valley Road and the installation of a median barrier.
Drivers of vehicles lined up on either side of the project area Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 27), were experiencing one of the impacts of the project: daily intermittent traffic stoppages to allow for the construction. The ministry advised stoppages of up to 30 minutes could be expected Monday to Saturday from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., with up to one stoppage of 20 minutes occurring around 1 p.m. and another of 30 minutes around 7 p.m.
The ministry said the project remains on budget, and on schedule to be completed in 2026.
