It's been nearly a decade in the making and the subject of countless controversies, but an opening day has finally been set for the new Johnson Street Bridge.
The City of Victoria says it will hold a special event to celebrate the new bridge and to say goodbye to the old one on Sat., March 31,
The event will take place from noon to 5 p.m. and will offer attendees the chance to be among the first people to walk across the brand-new bridge before it's opened to traffic.
A community picnic, music and other kid-friendly activities will take place on the old bridge.
The bridge was initially scheduled to be completed in 2015 on a $63-million budget, but problems with steel fabrication in China ballooned the total cost to $105-million.
The major replacement project was first proposed in 2009 by a Victoria city council headed by then-mayor Dean Fortin.
