Traffic Bridge options unveiled

The 10 options for the future of the iconic Traffic Bridge range from an estimated $4 million to tear it down to $60 million to build a signature bridge in its place.

The decision on what to do with the steel truss bridge takes on an added degree of pressure with the bridge closed indefinitely to traffic due to severe corrosion and deterioration revealed during an inspection last month.

"It’s no longer just a what-if scenario," said Mike Gutek, the city’s infrastructure services manager. "It’s actually a reality."

The options, which will be presented to council Monday night and open for discussion at an open house on Wednesday, are based on feedback from residents earlier this year.

Residents who responded "want . . . to see the existing Traffic Bridge rehabilitated," a consultant’s report to the city says.

But the more than 500 residents who made their opinion known are divided on whether to keep the bridge solely for the use of pedestrians and cyclists or continue to open it to vehicles, the report states.

The 10 options reflect the vehicle-pedestrian divide.

To rehabilitate the bridge, retaining its current narrow width, and keep it as a vehicle crossing with three-metre wide walkways constructed on both sides for pedestrians and cyclists would cost $27 million. To refurbish it for pedestrians and cyclists only would cost $23 million; to add landscaping, turning the bridge into a "bridge park" would cost $31 million.

Six options deal with building a new bridge. To replace the bridge with a basic concrete structure with wider traffic lanes and shoulders and walkways on either side would cost $26 million; a steel truss replica would cost $25 million; while a modern and "architecturally significant" signature bridge would cost $60 million.

Cyclist and pedestrian-only replacements are significantly less in terms of cost. A basic six-metre wide girder and deck bridge for cyclists and pedestrians would only run $17 million; a basic pedestrian bridge with more aesthetic appeal would cost $22 million; while a signature pedestrian bridge would cost $34 million.

The city estimates that demolishing the bridge, an option that received little public support, would cost $4 million. An additional $4 million is needed to refurbish the piers, which have only 20 years of life remaining, the report says.

The costs, developed by Stantec Consulting and the city, are only rough estimates to give residents a sense of the range of options, Gutek said.

Following the forum, the city’s administration will develop a short list of options with a final decision expected by November.

"It’s our job to provide the options available and present them in an apples-to-apples format so that a decision can be made with all the cards on the table," Gutek said.

"We don’t endorse all of the options, but that’s what came out from the public. The goal now that we have some options is to refine it to three or so that appear to be workable solutions and create proper and detailed estimates to make a final decision."

Gutek said he expects motorists to have their voice heard at forums next week given the angst that’s been expressed since the bridge closed.

There is still no funding flagged for the Traffic Bridge project, Gutek said, but the city’s corporate services department is exploring what’s available.

"We’ve always struggled with funding for overpasses and bridges in general," he said.