Arlington Bridge faces uncertain future

Winnipeg's 99-year-old Arlington Bridge could soon be just a memory.

City engineers say the iron bridge spanning the CPR yards in the Dufferin neighbourhood has reached the end of its design life.

But before throwing in the towel and turning it into rubble, the city will spend $2 million to consider its options.

Those range from demolishing the bridge to a complete refurbishment, and what impact either decision would have on surrounding neighbourhoods and traffic routes.

The study will consider the cost and benefits of enhancing the Salter Street bridge or expanding the McPhillips Street underpass to handle the extra traffic if the Arlington bridge was decommissioned.

CBC News spoke to some users of the bridge and received the following comments:

• "It's a convenient way to get across."
• "Maybe they should use that $2 million on something else instead of on a bridge. They could help out the people with that instead."
• Keep it. It's cool, it's like the best bridge in Winnipeg."

A city spokesman said a structural examinations has deemed the bridge safe for now, as it gets only a fraction of the traffic other bridges handle.

There is no word on when the report will be completed.