New report recommends rehab of over 110-year-old bridge, not building new one
Mary Young walks across the Louise Bridge every day.
“Well I’m close to downtown…so I walk and I don’t really need to go anywhere,” said Young.
Young said that daily trip to downtown would be a hardship without the bridge crossing.
“Long ways to find another bridge.”
A report at city hall said the more than 110-year-old bridge is in poor condition and is facing deck, steel, and pier deterioration.
It requires significant upgrades before the end of the decade.
“If you've ever been on the Louise Bridge it's got some movement to it,” said Public Works Committee Chair, Janice Lukes.
The public works department is recommending a $40 million rehabilitation of the structure with two lanes of traffic.
This is instead of a new build, which would have four or six lanes, and a price tag of up to $179 million.
The report said the full replacement is not needed until after 2050 - to coincide with the planned eastern route of Rapid Transit - which would go over the bridge.
“I don’t think it's logical to completely redo the bridge and all the access points, rebuild the whole thing, to what is required in 30 years."
Coun. Jason Schreyer said he is disappointed by the rehab plan, but not surprised by it, blaming the direction on inflationary pressure.
“I feel sorry for Winnipeggers that after all the deliberation for building a new bridge, and for our eastern corridor for Rapid Transit, we’re looking at rehabilitation of a 100-year-old bridge.”
Area MLA Jim Maloway said a new bridge is needed here, not a refurbishment.
“Anybody that will listen to this argument will see that’s a total waste of $40 million - and it doesn’t expand the bridge, the bridge is too small right now for the traffic that we’ve got,” said Maloway.
The report said a two-lane bridge rehab would provide enough room for traffic until 2050.
The city might see this plan as the cheaper quicker option to ensure the Louise Bridge doesn't end up like Arlington - closed indefinitely
"I would say that that is one perspective that the department has on it,” Lukes said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
WATCH LIVE Following his conviction in hush money case, Trump speaks at news conference
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is holding a news conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
opinion Six ways to put your saving on autopilot and pay yourself first
In his latest personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew explains how automating your savings and paying yourself has never been easier, thanks to the digital banking tools and apps that are out there.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
ANALYSIS Will Donald Trump go to prison? What the precedent says
Now that the jury in Donald Trump's criminal trial has made the historic decision to convict him, the judge overseeing the case will soon face a monumental choice: whether to sentence the 2024 Republican presidential candidate to time behind bars.
Reactions pour in to Donald Trump's first-ever felony conviction for a former U.S. president
After hours of deliberations, a jury of Donald Trump's New York City peers convicted him on 34 counts, making him the first the former U.S. president in history with a felony conviction.