Skip to content

Trail council approves bridge lighting project

“We want the lighting to be installed and tested before Silver City Days and make the first lighting during Silver City Days.” Mayor Martin

The city will be extra flashy during the revamped Silver City Days festivities this coming year.

The Victoria Street Bridge lighting project will go to tender this month after Trail council gave the go-ahead during Monday’s governance meeting.

Estimated to cost $510,000, the job was given pre-approval in the 2016 capital budget mostly related to successful fundraising efforts and logistics - Trail’s revitalized May event is only five months away and the city has work permits from the ministry in place.

“We want to start construction early next year to meet this key deadline of the end of April,” says Trail Mayor Mike Martin. “We want the lighting to be installed and tested before Silver City Days and make the first lighting during Silver City Days.”

Lighting up the city’s main connector was first introduced to council two years ago by the Downtown Opportunities and Action Committee.

Trail’s former council agreed to fund the project 50 per cent, once the group raised $190,000, which at the time, was half the project’s cost.

Only one year into its Buy-a-Light campaign, in addition to a run of major sponsorships, the group is nearing that goal.

“The city made a commitment to the DOAC that should they be able to reach that funding level, the city would be prepared to fund the balance,” added Martin.

The current price tag exceeds the original estimate by $135,000.

For that reason, council’s vote to move ahead was not unanimous.

“Anytime we’ve had discussions I have always been opposed, based on the timing,” says Coun. Carol Dobie. “I have always said I am not against lighting the bridge, I’m against lighting the bridge right now.”

She reasons the city’s current major undertakings, the pipe bridge and new library museum,



Sheri Regnier

About the Author: Sheri Regnier

Read more