Arlington Bridge into its final weeks

Crews will begin decommissioning the shuttered and deteriorating Arlington Bridge as soon as next week, but a potential replacement for the once-crucial traffic link isn’t expected for at least a few more years.

On Monday, council’s public works committee approved a $10-million contract for the first round of work to remove the old structure. The vote is final.

The Arlington Bridge opened to traffic in 1912 and closed suddenly on Nov. 21, 2023 due to structural concerns.

The two-lane Arlington span over the Canadian Pacific Railway (now Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway) yards had been a critical link from the North End into central Winnipeg.

The closure has created major traffic bottlenecks ever since, said Darrell Warren, president of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association.

“Arlington used to be a vital artery for us. Now we’re forced to take McPhillips (Street) or (the Slaw Rebchuk) Bridge or Main Street and you really, really notice the buildup of traffic on those streets now, compared to when the bridge was open. You’re adding anywhere — depending what time of day it is — (from) 15 to 45 minutes (to many commutes),” said Warren.

Traffic volumes at the McPhillips underpass have increased by about 5,100 vehicles per weekday since the Arlington Bridge closed. The figure is about 5,300 vehicles per weekday on the Slaw Rebchuk Bridge, which joins Salter and Isabel streets, city data shows.

In late 2024, a city report said morning peak traffic flows extended an hour longer and afternoon peak traffic extended two hours at the McPhillips Street underpass following the Arlington Bridge closure.

Warren deemed it “unacceptable” to experience such delays for so long.

“As soon as they closed that bridge and deemed it… so unsafe that it had to come down, they should have started demolition,” he said.

Crews will begin removing the southern portion of the bridge (from Logan Avenue to its midpoint) as early as next Monday. That work will last into October. In 2027, the northern half of the bridge will be removed during the same period of the year.

“It is critical for work to start in 2026 due to limited access to the rail yards,” Damir Muhurdarevic, the city’s bridge projects engineer, wrote in the report.

Public works chairwoman Coun. Janice Lukes said the portion of the bridge directly above CPKC Railway lines must be removed during July and August only, the time rail traffic tends to slow down at the site.

“We are basically at the mercy of the rail line because we’ve got such limited access. These are active, live rail lines,” said Lukes (Waverley West).

Work on the bridge portions over city land is expected in June, September and October.

Lukes said she understands the extended bridge closure has proven very frustrating for drivers.

“It’s a major north-south link and the rerouting is… a nightmare for people…. The north has grown and expanded and it’s a really key link,” she said.

City council set aside $22 million in 2025 to demolish and decommission the bridge, which includes $5 million to design a replacement structure. After the first phase of demolition, that budget will have about $5.6 million left for the second.

In an interview, Muhurdarevic said it’s not clear if the remaining funds will be enough to cover the second phase of demolition or if city council will be asked for more money to complete that work.

Construction on a new bridge could start about two to three years after the old one is decommissioned, he said.

“(After that) it’s about two years to… complete the construction of the new bridge…. Everything would depend on the budget, (for) when the start date would be,” said Muhurdarevic.

Council has not approved funding for a new Arlington bridge yet.

In November 2024, the city released a proposal to replace the bridge at its current location. At the time, the proposed two-lane bridge with two shared, multi-use active-transportation paths was expected to cost $166 million, plus up to $27 million more in interest.

“We need to secure funding…. We’re working on the business case,” said Lukes.

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Coun. Ross Eadie said the city must do the work as soon as possible, due to the bridge’s condition.

“There is an urgency and an emergency,” said Eadie (Mynarski). This bridge needs to be taken down…. It is in such bad shape.”

Eadie stressed the North End and this key transportation link are not being ignored. Removing the structure above active rail lines has proven risky and complicated, slowing the process down, he said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.