$1.6M plan would add 60 years to Wallaceburg walking bridge: report

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A Wallaceburg councillor is supporting the municipality’s $1.6-million rehabilitation plan for the area’s pedestrian bridge, noting it will extend its lifespan by 60 years.

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“I think this (option) makes the most sense,” Coun. Aaron Hall said. “Moving forward with this plan really cements the viability of the bridge for the long term. It’s obviously a vital structure for multiple reasons for our community.”

Council will vote on staff’s recommendation for the LO Stonehouse Walking Bridge Monday night. The municipality’s manager of engineering, Brendan Faulker, presented four options in a council report.

The recommended plan would replace the existing main and lift spans of the bridge with similar structures, rehabilitate or replace the pedestrian railings on the north and south spans, and galvanize and re-coat the north and south spans.

The option is the third most expensive, though the cheaper options would only add 25 to 30 years of service to the structure.

The most expensive option – a complete redesign and replacement – would improve the lifespan by 75 years at a cost of more than $3.6 million.

If approved, the $1.6-million project is expected to start construction in 2023. Faulker’s report said the price tag will be updated once the municipality hires a consultant and the design phase is complete.

The walking bridge has been closed to pedestrians since November due to safety concerns. Hall said some residents are worried about the short-term effects of keeping the bridge closed potentially into next year.

“I have talked to staff about this, and I will probably raise this on Monday, about why there can’t be some kind of interim measure that people can use it, but the fact of the matter now is it’s not safe to walk on,” he said.

“From what I understand … it’s just not very feasible to do that short-term work just to make it accessible at this time, so it just makes more sense as a municipality and as a community to rehabilitate and look towards the long-term for it.”

Hall, who is on the committee for the Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing, said the bridge is important for events, and as a way to connect the south side of Wallaceburg to downtown.

The councillor said he is pleased the report seems to put to rest concerns the municipality would divest the bridge, which was being considered in 2013 and 2014. The bridge doesn’t meet the criteria for divestment, Faulkner said in the report.

The report also said the final Wallaceburg South Side Secondary Plan is expected to highlight the bridge as a way to connect both sides of the community.