ARISS ‒ Centre Wellington staff will move forward on investigating the next steps for five bridges closed over the past few years on Sideroad 5, 11, and Noah Road in the former township of Pilkington.
During a council meeting Monday afternoon, councillors approved the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) study which will identify and evaluate alternative solutions to address the closed bridges.
Constructed between 1922 and 1929, Bridges 32-P, 33-P, 28-P, 1-P, and 30-P were all closed as "a measure to ensure public safety" due to structural deterioration.
“The bridges are important for those people who lived in rural areas because they not only are physical connections, but they're also connections to our community,” said Mayor Shawn Watters. “On each side of a bridge, there are communities of people who have known each other for years and years that are disconnected when a bridge is out.”
There are four options for each bridge: do nothing, remove the structure and construct a turnaround, rehabilitate the existing structure, or replace the structure.
Evaluation criteria will include community input, operation, construction, and maintenance costs, as well as the environmental impact.
“People who live in those parts of the community who have bridges out (have been) living with uncertainty and I think that’s even more frustrating than having the bridge out at times,” said Watters. “At least we'll have some direction and understanding of what the future is there and I think that's really important for the community.”
But Coun. Lisa MacDonald wanted to know why it has taken so long to implement the studies considering the bridges were all closed years ago.
“It's a difficult one for me to answer but generally speaking, it's driven by having the appropriate amount of budget to do the appropriate things,” said Adam Dickieson, the town's engineering services coordinator, during the meeting. “Following our asset management plan and yearly budgets, we're doing the best we can.”
Staff also discussed residents' alternatives to the bridge closures, namely what to do about the construction and use of private bridges by the public. In another instance, staff have found evidence of vehicles driving through the waterway in the absence of the bridge.
The project's anticipated completion date is Spring 2024.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
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