Construction of a new pedestrian bridge over the Speed River should go ahead, say city staff.
They are recommending council approve an official plan amendment for the project connecting Emma Street on the west with Earl Street on the east.
The amendment is needed in order for bridge infrastructure to be built within significant wetlands, significant woodlands or significant wildlife habitat – something that’s otherwise forbidden by city policies.
Staff feel studies show “there are no negative impacts to the features and functions of the natural heritage system and a net ecological gain is achieved” through the project.
Council is set to consider the staff recommendation during its planning meeting on June 13. The meeting, which is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m., will be streamed live at guelph.ca/live and open to in-person attendance inside council chambers at City Hall.
First approved by city council in 2015, the $1.8 million Emma to Earl project is a pedestrian and bicycle bridge proposed to span 90 metres over the Speed River, 200 metres downstream of Speedvale Avenue.
Council’s approval of the project came when it endorsed a design for reconstruction of the Speedvale Avenue bridge over the Speed River that did not include bicycle lanes, as otherwise required by city policy.
The Speedvale Avenue bridge project has yet to come to fruition and is on hold after tender bids came in over the anticipated $10 million cost.
Staff’s Emma to Earl approval recommendation comes more than a year after the province deemed an environmental assessment for the project to be incomplete, pointing to deficiencies concerning lack of consultation with the public and First Nations, as well as ensuring it is in accordance with the Endangered Species Act.
During a February, 2021 public meeting regarding the bridge project, several residents urged council to reconsider plans for the bridge and ponder alternatives such as creating a safe zone for pedestrians and cyclists along Speedvale Avenue over the Speed River.
The deadline to register as a delegate or make a written submission for the June 13 public meeting is Friday at 10 a.m.
