By Khang Nguyen

Repairs to Diefenbaker Bridge set for spring of 2016

Aug 18, 2015 | 6:21 AM

Second Avenue West won’t be free of pylons and construction signs for a very long time.

An agreement for additional repairs to the Diefenbaker Bridge was passed during City Council on Monday afternoon.

The amended agreement increases the province’s funding for the bridge from roughly $1.2 million to $3 million. The amendment came after a recent inspection of the bridge brought forth additional items to the original evaluation done in the summer of 2013.

With the ‘big dig’ already behind schedule, the amendments will force construction on the bridge to spill over to next year.

“We were hoping to do the bridge at the same time … but unfortunately they don’t have it in the 2015 budget so they’re going to give it to us in the 2016 budget,” Mayor Greg Dionne said after council.

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“We do appreciate it even though it was too long of a process to get approval. If we would have gotten the approval six weeks ago, eight weeks ago, I do believe we could have gotten the work done this year, and that’s why we can’t get the money because they’ve already spent the budget for this year,” said Dionne.

While the project has not been tendered out yet, Public Works Manager Amjad Khan estimates construction on the bridge will begin in April 2016 and will look to finish by October of the same year.

“They thought that by reviewing it that $1.2 million would do the work, but actually when they hired the consultant and the consultant actually went through it section by section, they realized that there was more damage to it than it originally looked,” said Dionne.

The rehabilitation project will completely replace the damaged areas of the bridge. Rusted walking rails, disintegrating splash guards and sinking walkways are the major concerns, says Dionne.

Several council members expressed their concerns to the amendment, especially in regards to the businesses already affected by the construction on Second Avenue.

“It just seems to be an awful hardship on those business people, and the community and the citizens travelling down that road,” said councillor Don Cody.

“We’re going to shut the bridge one more year. I thought we’d have one clear year here for a change. I’d really prefer if we could do a bit of negotiation with the province and plead our case as to not do the work next year, but do it this year,” he continued.

Councillor Lee Atkinson brought up the idea of working on the bridge ’24-7’ or having longer work weeks to finish the bridge faster.

“The impact to some of the businesses is significant and perhaps in a smaller community it’s agreeable in these things, but I think we’re moving in the direction that we’re becoming a larger community and we have to look at what other large communities do,” Atkinson said.

“From a labour standpoint, you’re looking for a company that’s more likely going to have supervision 24-7, that’s an increase cost right there. Plus the work crews themselves, they still need to have days off and everything else,” said Councillor Martin Ring.

“Larger municipalities may be able to get away with it, I’m not so sure we can,” he continued.

According to Khan, a penalty clause can be placed in the contract that will put a time limit on the project. The clause would increase the project of the contract.

“I give the province credit. Of course I’m not happy. I wanted it done this year, let’s only aggravate our traffic once. But at the same time, you got to give the province credit. They gave the city another $3 million to fix the bridge.”

According to Dionne, the city does have the option to the delay the project until 2017 as they have until the end of 2016 to spend the $3 million.

knguyen@jpbg.ca

Follow on Twitter: @khangvnguyen