Repair, don’t replace decaying Louise Bridge: city report

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This article was published 01/05/2024 (540 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of Winnipeg’s oldest bridges could undergo major repairs to extend its life by another 30 years, instead of being replaced sooner by a new, wider span.

A report by city staff recommends rehabilitating the 114-year-old Louise Bridge, which is in poor condition due to age-related deterioration.

The two-lane bridge, which crosses the Red River between Point Douglas and Elmwood, undergoes annual “reactive” repairs, but will require significant work by 2030 to remain operational, engineering manager Brad Neirinck wrote in the report.

The work would expand its lifespan until a new bridge is needed to complete the construction of a rapid transit line between downtown and Transcona, the report said.

A new bridge would have a minimum expected service life of 75 years, Neirinck wrote.

Council’s public works committee will consider the recommendation at a Tuesday meeting.

The city’s 2011 transportation master plan recommended the Louise Bridge be replaced by 2016.

A more recent study estimated it would cost $40 million to rehabilitate the bridge, while a new four-lane bridge would cost $142 million and could include dedicated bus lanes. The cost of a six-lane bridge was estimated to be $179 million.

“The fact that we’re throwing money at a renovation, when a lot is at stake here for the city’s development and what taxpayers pay for, is truly unfortunate,” said Elmwood-East Kildonan Coun. Jason Schreyer. “This is a massive contradiction of the city’s own plans encouraged by council.”

For public works chair Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West), renovating the bridge and prolonging its lifespan is a wise decision.

“If we don’t need (a new bridge) for another 30 years, why wouldn’t we do the upgrade and then use (funds) for other relevant issues,” she said, citing the 112-year-old Arlington Bridge, which has been taken out of service, as an example.

The city doesn’t have funding for either bridge right now, she noted.

The Louise Bridge requires repairs due to bridge deck, non-functional support bearings, structural steel and underwater river pier deterioration, the report said.

While a 2023 traffic count showed the bridge is near or at capacity during the morning rush hour, an analysis suggests the existing two lanes would have adequate capacity until about 2050, the report said.

The estimated traffic capacity of 1,200 vehicles per lane per hour is 10 per cent less than pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels in 2019.

Winnipeg followed a similar approach with the decaying Arlington Bridge, which has undergone multiple rehabilitation projects to extend its life, plus multiple studies into whether to repair or replace it.

The cost of building a new bridge escalated during that time.

The city suddenly was forced to close the Arlington Bridge in November, after an assessment concluded annual repairs were no longer viable.

Council is expecting to receive a private consultant’s report on the bridge’s future this fall.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca