The Kicking Horse Bridge (#1) represents the only viable vehicle link between the north and south side of the Town of Golden. This bridge faces continued effects of ice and debris flow during floods caused by the absence of required bridge clearance. Closures would result in detours ranging from 108km to 316km. The existing narrow 24-foot-wide through truss (Kicking Horse #1) cannot be widened, and the approaches to the structures are in poor alignment. Therefore, the proposed bridge replacement required the development of a detailed business case to support the province in funding the project.
SEERO/APEX prepared a business case report which includes assessing the base case of rehabilitation of existing abutment foundations, considering the risk of detours and the temporary bridge to accommodate traffic during rehabilitation construction. The proposed case is replacing Kicking Horse Bridge No. 1 and 2 with an offline single two-lane bridge over the Kicking Horse River, with accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists with new road crossings and a multi-use path (MUP). The work includes preparing a detailed benefit-cost analysis as part of the multiple-account evaluation as per MOTI guidelines.