Diane McLeod crosses the Diefenbaker Bridge every day to get to work — a route that could one day cost her if Prince Albert city council moves ahead with a toll bridge.
As a grass cutter, McLeod figures she drives across the bridge 20 to 24 times per month in the summer. She often notices the backlog of traffic on Prince Albert’s lone river crossing on long weekends.
“Many times when we were leaving work it would take a half an hour to 40 minutes to get out of the city,” McLeod said, referring to times when some bridge lanes were closed for construction.
Congestion and maintenance on the bridge have been problems for years, as much of Saskatchewan uses it to access Prince Albert National Park. People from northern Saskatchewan use it to access services and go shopping in the province’s third-largest city.
On Monday evening, Prince Albert city councillors discussed a city administration report laying out options to charge a toll on the bridge and use the proceeds to pay for an additional one.
A report to the executive committee stated annual revenue could be as high as $4.5 million if every crossing vehicle paid a toll. Another option, to only charge vehicles from outside Prince Albert, could bring in a maximum of $1.9 million.
An estimated 24,000 vehicles go across the bridge every day. The nearest bridge over the North Saskatchewan River is roughly 100 kilometres away.
Coun. Charlene Miller requested the administration’s report, in hopes of raising enough money to pay one-third of the bridge’s price tag — likely at least $100 million. The other two-thirds, she said, would come from the provincial and federal governments.
The toll each way for Prince Albert residents could be as little as 50 cents, according to Miller, while drivers from outside the city could be charged more.
The administration’s report notes a toll might deter residents and non-residents alike from visiting a local ski hill, art galleries, a museum and various appointments. The landfill and airport would also be affected.
“There’s a lot fear-mongering about people not wanting to cross the bridge after the toll is in place,” Miller said.
She said people need to think of the bridge as a solution to the issue of congestion on an aging piece of infrastructure.
“If somebody would like to step forward and have another solution that would be great,” Miller said.
She also noted there is technology available for drivers to pay electronically, rather than have them line up to pay with coins or tokens. Installing the system would cost $1.3 million and annual maintenance would cost $300,000, according to administration.
Todd MacKay, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, stated people in Prince Albert run the risk of seeing the toll become another tax.
If council decides to move ahead with the toll, MacKay said there needs to be a coherent plan with a timeline for paying off a new bridge and removing the toll on the old bridge.
“And then, most importantly, they need to put that to the people and let them have a vote in a referendum,” MacKay said.
A report with a more detailed traffic analysis and input from upper levels of government is expected to go to city councillors in November.