The new elevator down to Westminster Pier Park may offer one of the best views in the city.



The City of New Westminster included an elevator in the Fourth Street overpass, which provides access to the park from Fourth Street near the Front Street parkade. Pedestrians have been able to enter the park via stairs since last March, but the elevator has had its share of ups and downs and was delayed by nearly a year.



Jim Lowrie, the city’s director of engineering, said the elevator passed all of the B.C. Safety Authority’s inspections and opened on Saturday morning. He thanked residents for their patience during the “prolonged” period of time it took to complete the project.



“It’s been a long time coming but we are finally there,” said Mayor Jonathan Cote. “It caused great excitement in the community on the weekend for those who have been waiting for that to finally open.”



People with accessibility issues, as well as those with bikes and strollers, were particularly interested in seeing the elevator open, Cote said.



“Having the pedestrian bridge open, but having it not accessible to those people has been a bit of a source of frustration for many in the community,” he said. “When it opened this past weekend, it was actually a beautiful Saturday, the park was absolutely filled and there were a lot of people very pleased to see the elevator in operation. I saw people going in with bikes and strollers all day long when I was down there.”



Last October, city staff told the Record the elevator’s opening has been held up by delays in parts coming in on time, coordination issues between the parties involved in the project and changes made to the size and design of the elevator.



Cote said the city opted for a glass elevator that’s fully visible as a crime prevention through environmental design.



“The plan is to operate the elevator the same hours that our parks are operational, which is from dawn to dusk,” he said.

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Lowrie said any additional costs that may have been incurred on this project resulting from delays are the responsibility of the contractor as this is a fixed price contract. He said the final cost for the project is expected to be within the original budget of $3.2 million.