Long-discussed plans for a new, downtown-area pedestrian bridge are about to become a reality.
Bridge construction, linking Emma and Earl streets over the Speed River, about 200 metres downstream of Speedvale Avenue, is expected to begin next month. Site preparation work is slated to get underway before the end of March.
“We anticipate construction will be completed by December,” explains a post on the city’s website. “The bridge will provide an accessible walking and cycling route across the Speed River and will connect you to the Downtown Trail.”
A need for the bridge was first identified in the 2005 Guelph Trails Master Plan. It was approved by city council in 2015.
At that time, the estimated cost was $1.8 million.
The project is included in the city’s current multi-year budget with a total cost of $5.8 million, about half of which is to be paid for with development charges.
This past November, the project was awarded to a Stratford-based company for $3.6 million.
“We were happy with the price that came in at,” Reg Russwurm, the city’s manager of design and construction, told GuelphToday, noting it was a competitive process.
In addition to construction, the approved budget is meant to cover things such as design work, public consultations, staff time and more.
An environmental assessment for the project, meant to investigate options and present recommendations, was approved by city council in 2020. Following a complaint filed by a group of local residents, provincial officials demanded further review be done.
In other downtown-area bridge news, city staff’s preliminary preferred option calls for the removal of Allan’s Bridge, along with the replacement and expansion of the Macdonell Street bridge.
Both are Speed River crossings, located within close proximity of one another, connecting Arthur and Woolwich/Wellington streets near the River Run Centre.