City closes deteriorating 111-year-old Arlington Bridge indefinitely

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This article was published 21/11/2023 (687 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City of Winnipeg has closed the deteriorating Arlington Bridge indefinitely, and officials don’t yet know whether it will be repaired or replaced.

Public works acted immediately after receiving the results of a condition assessment — the first phase of a study intended to determine the viability of repairs for the long term — officials announced late Tuesday afternoon.

The city has been trying since 2016 to determine the future of the 111-year-old bridge that moves traffic over the Canadian Pacific Railway yards, but the condition assessment shed more light on steel corrosion and structural issues that the city said makes annual safety repairs to the structure a pointless exercise.

“We undertook some maintenance this fall — (deterioration is) starting to accelerate more than we thought,” Brad Neirinck, manager of engineering for public works, told reporters. “In addition, we’re starting to see things like… there’s bridge bearings that allow the bridge to expand and contract, and those are all seized up now.

“Anything that’s steel or concrete, it expands when the weather gets hot and it contracts when the weather gets cold. Right now… the seizing of the bearings is keeping the structure from doing that expansion and contraction, so the stress is building up in the structure.”

He said the bridge is not an immediate danger in its current condition, but there’s an increased risk if it were to remain open.

“We don’t want to get to the point that there’s a collapse,” he said. “We’re not near that point… but there’s things (we’ve) got to do to mitigate the risk and make sure that the structural integrity is there. It’s unfortunate, we don’t want to close it, but it’s just that everything is adding up now.”

The city said it will immediately begin necessary repairs to keep railway workers and property under the bridge safe.

Canadian Pacific spokesman Terry Cunha said the railway was informed about the decision Tuesday afternoon.

“We remain engaged with city officials to assist with necessary next steps,” he said.

Neirinck said the city is aware that the closure will put strain on vehicle traffic. Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians will now be required to detour across the rail yards via the McPhillips Street underpass or the Slaw Rebchuk Bridge between Salter and Isabel streets.

The city advised drivers get onto those routes as early as possible during the morning and evening rush hours to avoid bottlenecks at Logan and Dufferin avenues.

City engineers determined in 2016 the bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1912, was near the end of its life and commissioned a study, which resulted in a preliminary design for a new bridge in 2019. The then-$320 million design was approved by city council that year for future consideration but was not immediately funded.

Earlier this year, the city initiated the $850,000 study to determine whether a long-term rehabilitation is possible or if the bridge should be decommissioned.

“We should know that by about February,” Neirinck said

Daniel McIntyre Coun. Cindy Gilroy said she is frustrated the city did not move to replace or repair it in 2016, when engineers determined the aging structure was near its end.

“This is completely devastating for the community that surrounds that area, especially the North End, I know this is a gateway into the community and the loss of that bridge, just even for pedestrians, is going to be huge,” she said.

“This is impact that we’re going to see when we continue to pay for new infrastructure against the old, aging ones that need to be replaced immediately, and this is a prime example — we knew a long time ago that this was going to happen, and now we’re finally here.

She said city officials are concerned about a similar situation involving the Louise Bridge, which connects Elmwood with Point Douglas.

“We need to replace these bridges… they’re key transportation (routes) for communities.”

Gilroy said the Arlington Bridge is a key connector between the North End and central Winnipeg, particularly to services such as the nearby Health Sciences Centre.

“If we don’t make these investments… communities will really be impacted that are already socially and economically challenged,” she said.

Point Douglas Coun. Vivian Santos, whose ward includes the south end of the bridge, said she is hopeful the indefinite closure of the bridge will spark discussions among civic, provincial and federal officials about funding for either a replacement or repairs to extend the bridge’s life. She said she plans to ask city department officials for data on the traffic impact of the closure.

Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie, whose ward includes north end of the bridge, said he suspects a long-term rehabilitation of the bridge would end up costing in the hundreds of millions of dollars, so he would rather the city pay for a new bridge for relatively little more.

“It’s a highly utilized bridge,” Eadie said of the need for a rail yard crossing at that location.

— with files from Joyanne Pursaga

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Erik Pindera
Reporter

Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020.  Read more about Erik.

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