City government accused of ‘kicking the can down the road’ on Arlington Bridge
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/11/2023 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The City of Winnipeg is facing questions about whether it has waited too long to replace the deteriorating Arlington Bridge after the century-old structure was forced to close indefinitely for safety reasons Tuesday.
Although the city hasn’t given a timeline, public works chair Coun. Janice Lukes expects the bridge that spans the CP Rail yards — whether it’s fixed or replaced — will be closed for multiple years.
“People can yell at the city for not doing it, but they have to remember we’re a small player when it comes to big-money investments,” Lukes (Waverley West) said Wednesday. “I wish we had more money to do all the city’s priorities, but the reality is we don’t. The reality is we don’t want to raise people’s taxes by 10 points.”
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The City of Winnipeg closed the Arlington Street Bridge indefinitely Tuesday.
The city will require federal and provincial funding if a new bridge is built, she said. A 2018 report put the cost at $330 million — $30 million more than a 2016 estimate.
“I’m sure it’s $400 million-plus now,” said Lukes.
The closure has put decisions by current and past councils under scrutiny. In the last decade, the city has set aside about $3.6 million for studies that looked at whether to repair or replace the bridge.
In 1967, council was told the structure was at the end of its functional life. It was repeatedly given a new lease on life thanks to significant repairs between 1972 and 2021, city records show.
Studied since 1965
At least seven studies of the Arlington Street Bridge have been carried out since 1965, the city said.
The bridge was part of a $1.1-million CPR crossing study that wrapped up in 2016.
At least seven studies of the Arlington Street Bridge have been carried out since 1965, the city said.
The bridge was part of a $1.1-million CPR crossing study that wrapped up in 2016.
After council was informed in 2016 the bridge was nearing the end of its service life, the city gave a $1.8-million contract to a consultant to finish the Better Bridge for Arlington study.
In 2019, council put a new bridge on a list of unfunded capital projects, while approving a proposed design for future consideration.
A contract of almost $750,000 was awarded earlier this year for a feasibility study to determine if the bridge can be salvaged.
The first phase involved an assessment that resulted in Tuesday’s closure and immediate maintenance to keep the bridge stable, the city said.
A report, expected in early 2024, will tell the city whether the life of the bridge can be prolonged through upgrades or if it should be demolished.
Previous studies were carried out in 1965 (structural steel capacity), 1970 (condition assessment report), 1978 (inspection and repair recommendations), 1981 (approach span study) and 1982 (structural evaluation and load rating report), the city said.
Significant repairs occurred in 1972, 1977, 1980, 1992, 2002, 2013, 2020 and 2021.
In recent years, the bridge has been closed annually for routine maintenance to keep it in operation. About $2.2 million has been spent since 2016.
Since 2016, annual maintenance costs have totalled about $2.2 million.
Tuesday’s closure stemmed from an ongoing engineering study that began earlier this year to determine if it’s possible to extend the bridge’s life for another 25 years.
Annual repairs are no longer viable because corrosion of the steel has worsened and there are problems with structure supports, the city said.
Mayor Scott Gillingham said “it’s hard to say” whether the city waited too long.
“Every asset has a life span, and this bridge has served the people of Winnipeg for over 100 years. Inevitably, it comes to a point where a long-term decision has to be made. We’re at that point where we need to really hear from our consultants that we’ve hired to determine what the long-term future is,” he said.
Local residents and commuters are frustrated by the closure of the inner-city bridge, which links the North End to the West End. Built over Canadian Pacific Railway yards in 1912, it is used by more than 13,000 vehicles per day.
Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists are forced to take a kilometres-long detour.
“People can yell at the city for not doing it, but they have to remember we’re a small player when it comes to big-money investments”–Coun. Janice Lukes
Matt Davidson, who lives in Luxton and uses the bridge, believes the city has wasted time and money by prolonging its life instead of building a new bridge.
He questioned whether the same situation would happen in an affluent neighbourhood.
“It’s just going to get more and more expensive to replace,” said Davidson, a former consultant in architectural engineering. “This is like Winnipeg’s (modus operandi): we’ll just study something to death.”
James Favel, the one-time chair of the former Dufferin Residents Association, said the indefinite closure will hurt the quality of life for people who need the bridge.
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City closes deteriorating 111-year-old Arlington Bridge indefinitely
“It’s going to cause a lot of congestion and a lot of headache,” he said.
Even though properties would be expropriated and demolished, the area is in dire need of a new bridge, he said.
Winnipeg Transit buses and emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks, cannot use the structure.
“Enough of the humming and hawing. Let’s move forward and actually do something,” said Favel.
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS City crews install barriers on the North end of the Arlington Street Bridge, Wednesday.
Gage Haubrich, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, suggested Winnipeg taxpayers are not getting good value when it comes to roads and bridges, especially when projects are put off.
“It’s kicking the can down the road, and that increases costs to taxpayers,” he said.
In 2019, a design for a three-lane bridge that would include cycling lanes was approved by council for future consideration. It was placed on a list of unfunded capital projects. The estimated construction timeline was five years.
Point Douglas Coun. Vivian Santos believes some council members did not see a return on investment from a new, expensive Arlington Bridge.
It wouldn’t spur major development like other capital projects, which may require a tax increase, she said.
However, a new bridge would provide socioeconomic benefits to impoverished neighbourhoods where residents feel they’ve been forgotten, the councillor said.
“The crux of the issue is: how are we going to finance this? We all want the new bridge, but we need to be able to find a way to pay for it,” she said.
A range of options must be considered while the bridge is shut, including upgrades to two alternative routes — the McPhillips Street underpass and Slaw Rebchuk Bridge on Salter Street — said Lukes.
“Enough of the humming and hawing … Let’s move forward and actually do something.”–James Favel
Gillingham disagreed with suggestions the bridge was overlooked because it is in a lower-income area.
Current and past councils have had to make difficult decisions on projects across the city, he said.
“It can be pitted as competing priorities. We try to do our best to make sure the needs of all parts of the city are met,” the mayor said.
The city is monitoring traffic increases on McPhillips and Salter streets, as well as Logan Avenue. Gillingham urged people not to cross the busy rail yard on foot while the bridge is out of service.
He expects the closure to renew discussions with the federal government about the possibility of moving the rail yards out of Winnipeg.
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Virgil Mason, watching city crews put up barricades on the Arlington Street Bridge Wednesday, lives north of the bridge and would walk across it a number of times a day for exercise.
Manitoba’s senior Liberal cabinet minister, Dan Vandal, said he and Gillingham have not yet talked about the closure. He wouldn’t say if Ottawa would provide funding.
“I look forward to meeting with Mayor Gillingham again soon so that we can continue working in partnership on Winnipeg’s priorities,” the St. Boniface—St. Vital MP, who is minister for Prairies Economic Development Canada, said in a statement.
The Manitoba government provides an annual operating grant to the City of Winnipeg. The former Tory government froze it for seven years.
Ian Bushie, the new minister of municipal affairs, said the province will provide “stable, predictable” multi-year funding to the city.
The government has not received a request related to the Arlington Bridge.
“I’m sure that’s going to happen in due course,” said Bushie.
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
As a general assignment reporter, Chris covers a little bit of everything for the Free Press.
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Joyanne loves to tell the stories of this city, especially when politics is involved. Joyanne became the city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press in early 2020.
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History
Updated on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 6:54 PM CST: Fixes various typos