Councillor and Public Works chair Denzil Minnan-Wong is pushing for more information on the state of Toronto’s bridges weeks after a Global News report revealed the city ignored expert advice to urgently replace the Dufferin Bridge for years.
In a letter to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, which he chairs, Minnan-Wong calls for annual updates on bridge conditions and rehabilitation plans, as well as an online resource to give the public information on the condition of all bridges in the city.
The need for these steps “has been highlighted by the recent controversy related to the Gardiner Expressway and the Dufferin Bridge,” the letter reads.
In an award-winning investigation last year, Global News revealed the aging Gardiner Expressway is in much worse shape than previously disclosed. Earlier this month, a Global News investigation reported on years of engineering reports on the Dufferin Bridge: Despite multiple recommendations for the bridge’s urgent replacement and repair, the city did minimal work on the century-old structure.
In both cases, Minnan-Wong told Global News this was the first he’d heard of the extent of the problems.
“I wasn’t aware. I don’t think council was made aware,” he told Global News when he was presented documents showing that engineers had recommended immediately rehabilitating the Dufferin Bridge back in 2008.
Video: Global News investigation into Dufferin Bridge (Oct. 1)
If he had seen the 2008 report back when it was written, he said, “There would be, like, no questions asked. This thing’s closing.”
The city is conducting an environmental assessment to decide the Gardiner’s fate. The Dufferin Bridge is now closed to vehicle traffic, but open to pedestrians and cyclists, and slated for replacement by 2016. The city has so far been unable to clarify who made the decision to postpone the bridge’s replacement.
Greater transparency would aid in decision-making and even help public confidence, Minnan-Wong writes in the letter, which goes before committee Oct. 21.
“Not only must we ensure the infrastructure is safe, we must also ensure that the public is confident that the bridges and roadways on which they travel, are safe. (…) They must have confidence that their government officials are performing the right inspections, at the right intervals, and are making the right decisions accordingly.”
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