Aging infrastructure is starting to come to the surface, often quite literally, in Langley.

In January, a burst water main along 56 Avenue in Langley City revealed to both the public and city staff the state of the pipes beneath the street. In a word, they are rapidly deteriorating.

Much of Langley City’s water and sewer infrastructure dates back to the early days of the City, and because it is now hitting the 50-year mark, at least some of it needs to be replaced.

The same is true of bridges and sewer lines. At present, 232 Street, a main north-south route in the Township, is closed so a bridge over the Salmon River can be replaced. This bridge was at the end of its useful life, The Times learned on a tour last week. The bridge girders had deteriorated significantly and it had to be replaced.

The same is true of the Nicomekl River bridge in Langley City, just east of Langley Bypass. That bridge is old, and flood waters routinely come up to deck level.

Then there’s the fact that Fraser Highway is one of the main east-west routes in Langley, and something had to be done. The project is getting underway, funding has been found — and the road will be closed for months next year to allow a new bridge to be built.

There are many other such projects that need to be done in Langley. They involve roads, water lines, sewer lines and other vital parts of infastructure that keep the community functioning.

As Langley grows, there is more demand for new facilities, and these are both welcome and needed. But it is important not to lose sight of the need to maintain and, in some cases, replace that which has been functioning well for many years.

The federal and provincial governments must ensure that infrastructure programs keep operating for many years, recession or no recession. These projects are vital to keeping a community functioning, and it is very hard to fund them all solely from property taxes.

The projects that are now underway are badly needed, even though they do create some short-term traffic challenges. More challenges are on the way, but at the same time, it’s good that some projects are being built.

We certainly need to have many more of them undertaken in the next few years.

—Frank Bucholtz