Money to demolish, begin replacing Arlington Bridge added to Winnipeg's budget

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham's inner circle has approved an amended version of the city budget that includes money to demolish the Arlington Bridge and design a replacement.

Council's executive policy committee voted unanimously at a special meeting on Friday to make several changes to the draft version of Winnipeg's spending plan for 2025, which was initially presented in December.

The most substantial change is the addition of $17 million to demolish the Arlington Bridge, which was shuttered in 2023 over structural safety concerns, and another $5 million to begin designing a new crossing over the CPR Winnipeg Yards.

The sudden closure of the bridge in late 2023 has increased rush-hour congestion at the McPhillips Street underpass and added traffic to the Slaw Rebchuk Bridge, which connects Salter Street to Isabel Street.

North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty, city council's finance chair, said demolishing the structure sooner rather than later will save Winnipeg money.

"It's going to have to come down. We know that. I've spoken to engineers on the side, and they've suggested that if we don't do it now, it's going to be more expensive to take it apart later," Browaty said following the executive committee's meeting.

A replacement bridge is expected to cost $166 million, plus $26 million in interest, and take six years to build, according to public works officials.

Another amendment to the budget cancelled a proposed snow-clearing pilot project that would have explored the viability of waiting for more snow to fall on residential streets before initiating plowing. The mayor said earlier this month the pilot project was dead following widespread public condemnation.

A third amendment calls for the community spaces kiosk at the Millennium Library to be offered to the Downtown Community Safety Partnership to conduct programming on a temporary basis.

The city's decision to stop funding its own outreach programming at the kiosk at the end of 2024 has also earned criticism.

Overall, the 2025 budget calls for Winnipeg to spend $1.42 billion on operations this year and a further $675 million on capital expenses such as road repairs, water main replacements and sewer renewals.

It also calls for a 5.95 per cent increase on the total pool of municipal property taxes.

The amended city budget faces council approval on Jan. 29.

Gillingham also said Friday he has asked the city's economist to study the budget implications of the federal decision to reduce immigration to Canada — a move with the potential to worsen a labour shortage in the city — as well as the effects of proposed U.S. tariffs and Canadian counter-tariffs.