“The [joints] on the completed side of the bridge have been refurbished and the metal and concrete components are higher right now than they will be because things wear down over time.”

Fretz said the city has been in close contact with the contractor — River Valley Construction Services Ltd. — because of the concerns that have been raised “to really understand what is going on.”

“The contractor explained to us if we put those expansion joints so that it was as flush as possible with the road, it will wear down quicker and we will be back doing that work that much quicker,” Fretz said.

Fretz also said that because the Overlanders Bridge was built in the 1960s, there will always be the need for expansion joints on the major thoroughfare across the Thompson River.

“There will always be the two expansion joints at each end of the bridge because of the design. We’ve removed five already but we can’t remove the other two,” she said. “[The joints are] only going to get better from here until we do work again in however many years [when] we need to do work again on this bridge.”

Fretz also said given the age of the bridge, it’s going to need “continuous tender loving care” in order to ensure it is up to standards. It was most recently rehabilitated in 2015, following reports of significant wear and tear on the bridge deck and the west sidewalk.

“We’re never going to get away from construction impacts with one main bridge in Kamloops,” Fretz said. “We do what we can to really, sort of, baby this along because we know that once its done, it’s going to be a whole different conversation.”

“The bridge is the best that we can make it right now knowing that those expansion joints will get better over time.”

According to estimates from the City of Kamloops, the entire Overlanders Bridge rehabilitation is expected to be done by early October. Work on a multi-use pathway along the bridge has already been completed.

A Communication Issue

Councillor Bill Sarai, who asked Fretz for the update Thursday, said that information is something that “residents should be aware of,” adding they should also keep in mind how old the bridge is and how important of a link it is.

“On the blue bridge lanes that have been completed, there has been some concern from residents and council as well that there are still some rough spots on each end and they seem like they’re not fixed. They seem similar to what was there prior to the work being done,” Sarai said prior to asking Fretz for the update.

“There are going to be some growing pains through the years,” Sarai added after Fretz’s update. “Thank-you for the explanation…so that we have some answers when people ask us.”

Councillor Katie Neustaeter also suggested that the issues are part of the “customer service communication problem” that the city has, in general. She said constant communication with residents is important so that people aren’t left to draw their own conclusions.

“I think telling the story ahead of time is a lot more helpful than us trying to fill in the blanks afterward or being reactive, as is our habit,” Neustaeter said, noting she experienced similar issues in 2015 when work was being done on the bridge.

“I remember 10 years going through all of the same pains, all of the same issues with commuting and being like, ‘What the heck? This is resurfacing?’” Neustaeter added. “I think getting ahead of that would really change how citizens receive these kinds of projects, as well, as opposed to wondering afterward, ‘Why not?’”

Neustaeter suggested the city needs to find a “new way” to get the word out to people about not just what the scope of work and disruptions will look like, but also what the end product will be like.

“I think getting ahead of that will change how people will receive these projects as opposed to them wondering afterwards,” she said. “There’s an explanation that makes perfect sense but if people are left to draw their own conclusions — especially in 2025 when people are so desperate to make anything problematic — that’s what will happen,” she said.

“It’s no different than with a lot of these other aspects that we’re talking about. Why isn’t the work happening at night? Why didn’t we just do one lane at at time? These things all have good professional explanations but if we don’t communicate them, people don’t know and then they’re just angry.”