ERIN - Council is set to deliberate a report that identifies $9.7 million in capital work needed on municipal bridges and culverts over the next 10 years.
Thursday is deliberation day for Erin council on R.J. Burnside and Associates Ltd’s 2021 bridge and culvert inspection report which undertook the inspection of 45 municipal bridges and culvert structures.
All bridge and culvert structures with spans of three metres or greater are required to be inspected every two years. Inspections were completed in accordance with the Ontario Structure inspection Manual (OSIM).
R.J. Burnside’s report recommends three types of remedial actions based on the condition of each structure such as routine maintenance, additional investigations and capital works like repairs and maintenance.
For repairs, rehabilitation or replacement needed every year, the capital cost totals to $3,196,000; for those needed every five years, the capital cost is $3,615,000; meanwhile, repairs needed every six to 10 years costs around $2,875,000. The total estimated cost for repair, rehabilitation or replacement is $9,686,000.
Meanwhile, routine maintenance can be completed, in most cases, by municipal staff according to the report. The total estimated value for maintenance work is $99,750, which covers work on 41 different structures.
Nick Colucci, director of infrastructure services and town engineer, submitted a report to council in which he explained that additional investigations are recommended when a structure shows severe material defects or performance deficiencies.
He noted that some of the additional investigations can be completed in conjunction with the next inspection in two years. Eight additional investigations are recommended with a total estimated value of $102,500.
In Colucci’s report, there are currently only approximately 53.2 per cent of the municipality’s structures are within the “good” range; 40.4 per cent of the structures are classified as “fair”; and 6.4 per cent classified as “poor”.
Colucci will explain to the council the 10-year capital plan on the bridges and culverts repairs and inspections based on the town’s typical capital expenditures on bridges and culverts over the last few years. He noted in his report that the 10-year plan amounts to $5,162,500 in capital expenditures.
Preliminary recommendations find five bridge and culvert replacements and 10 structure rehabilitation within five years, which totals up to $6.9 million worth of work.
In 2022, there are three proposed recommendations for bridge replacement work such as the feasibility study for the full replacement of the 3rd line bridge, which costs approximately $12,500; the design replacement of the bridge on Sideroad 17, which costs around $75,000; and the $450,000 bridge replacement construction on Sideroad 24.
The full bridge and culvert inspection report will be presented to council at a virtual meeting on Thursday for information.
