Structural issues, safety risks lead to indefinite closure of Winnipeg's Arlington Bridge, city says

The Arlington Bridge in Winnipeg is closed until further notice after an inspection found the 111-year-old structure is deteriorating rapidly, the city said Tuesday.

Commuters, including pedestrians and cyclists, will need to detour across the Canadian Pacific Railway yards via either the McPhillips Street underpass or Slaw Rebchuk Bridge on Salter Street, a Tuesday city news release says.

The decision was made after an engineering assessment found the corrosion in the steel-truss bridge has accelerated in recent years, getting to the point where annual safety repairs are no longer viable, according to the release.

"Everything is kind of adding up now. The deterioration is accelerating, it's widespread," said Brad Nierinck, engineering manager at the City of Winnipeg's public works.

"It's a matter of risk, more than it being dangerous. We're not thinking that it's dangerous right now, but there's risk in keeping people on the bridge, and there's maintenance that's required in order to keep the CP operations below safe as well."

The Arlington Bridge was built over the CPR Winnipeg Yards in 1911. City council was first told that the bridge was approaching the end of its useful life in 1967. Plans to replace it have been put off in favour of repairs ever since.

The engineering assessment was part of a $850,000 city-funded study of the bridge this year, which examines the possibility of repairing the existing structure to extend its life for another 25 years, said Nierinck.

The answer to that question should arrive by February, according to Nierinck. The city said Tuesday that the bridge will remain closed until the study is complete.

Bridge closure to 'strain' traffic: Nierinck

A second part of the engineering study will determine whether the bridge will ever allow cars again, said Nierinck.

"We don't want to get to the point where we have a collapse. We're not near that point … but there's things that we have to do to mitigate the risk, and make sure that the structural integrity is there," he said.

The city has been talking about replacing the bridge since 2011. Engineers presented a plan for a new three-lane span in 2018 at a price tag of $330 million, which Nierinck said would be higher now.

He says the city has been planning for the Arlington Bridge's "end of service life" for about the past decade.

Although no transit routes will be affected by the bridge's closure, Nierinck says nearby traffic will most definitely be impacted since the eight lanes going in each direction across the CP yards, between McPhillips and Main streets, are all at capacity.

"So this does put a strain on the system. There will be a lot of stop-and-go traffic," he said.

Mayor 'wants to' ignore bridge, councillor says

In February, Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city did not have the money to replace the bridge.

However, the city has found money in recent years for underpasses at Waverley Street and Plessis Road, and Gilligham has said his main priority is to widen Kenaston Boulevard.

Councillor Ross Eadie (Mynarski) says the Arlington Bridge should have been at the top of Gillingham's to-do list.

"The mayor chooses — and wants to — ignore it because he wants his widening of Kenaston," he said.

The bridge is needed by thousands of people, said Eadie. He feared the closure of the bridge for years, saying it will no longer be an option for ambulances.

All three levels of government are needed to come up with the bridge's replacement costs, Eadie said.

"It is a huge chunk of money."

'Short end of the stick' for North End

Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) urged patience until the bridge's fate is determined early next year.

She says she's hopeful a new provincial government will mean more co-operation to find those dollars, since a large portion of the governing party's representation is in the North End.

"I have more faith in our new mayor, new council and our new provincial government … that we can get more partners aligned to fund it," she said.

Santos says it's high time that the North End receives more government investment.

"It always seems like the North End always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to infrastructure."

Closed until further notice

1 year ago

Duration 1:55

The Arlington Bridge in Winnipeg is closed until further notice after an inspection found the 111-year-old structure is deteriorating rapidly, the city said Tuesday.