Airport Parkway bridge to be demolished and rebuilt

The half-built $5-million pedestrian and cycling bridge over the Airport Parkway will be demolished and rebuilt because of a problem with the concrete in the current main tower, councillors were told Friday.

Work had begun on the bridge off Cahill Drive West and north of Hunt Club Road in June, but the project stalled in March after concerns over the quality of the concrete.

In a memo to city council, councillor Maria McRae said the main tower of the bridge will need to be torn down "due to a deficiency."

McRae said the city's expectation is that the bridge will still be built within its budget.

The date of completion, however, "cannot be assessed until the ultimate construction solution is determined."

"I expected at this point of the year to be cutting a ribbon and using this bridge, and instead now I’m going to be pushing a demolition button. And it’s not what we had in mind for this spring," McRae told CBC News.