Is The Coteau Street Bridge A Bridge Too Financially Far Gone?
It may be seen as a great convenience and something which has been in the neighbourhood for a hundred years but the true condition of the City’s finances and other higher capital spending priorities may well spell the end of the “structurally insufficient” Coteau Street Bridge.
The Coteau Street Bridge connects Coteau Street East with the International Bible College (IBC) located in the southeast portion of the city and has been the subject of a recommendation for about a decade calling for its closure and demolition. The bridge spans the CNR rail line below it. It is not the only access road for IBC.
In 2009 the Council of the day decided during budget deliberations to leave the decision for the in-coming new Council to make. No decision was made.
During discussions of the 2020 - 2025 Five Year Capital Budget city engineer Josh Mickelborough said a report is due on bridges which will include the Coteau Street Bridge. At the present time the Engineering Department is still recommending the bridge’s closure and demolition, he said.
Despite the recommendation for closure and forthcoming report Councillor Brian Swanson asked questions about the hundreds of thousands of dollars allocated to the bridge in the capital budget.
Councillor Brian Swanson noted that the bridge is included in the 2020 capital budget with $650,000 budgeted for it.
Despite the decade long intermittent discussion on the ultimate fate of the bridge it was unclear who actually owns the Coteau Street Bridge.
“Have we determined who owns the Coteau Street Bridge?” Councillor Swanson asked.
“It is our understanding now we have ownership. It has been so long the records are incomplete. We are working with them (CNR) what to do with the bridge. We are working with them and the options on how to deal with that bridge. But as it sits right now we have a responisbility to deal with at least a portion of it,” Mickelborough responded.
“I would bet CN would like to see us deal with it in its entirety,” Councillor Swanson said.
“We would like to see them (CN) deal with it in its’ entirety,” Mickelborough said.
Suggestions had been previously made at Council to convert the bridge to pedestrian traffic only.
“To make it a pedestrian bridge are you anticipating putting anything other than barriers from preventing cars from going across there?” Councillor Swanson asked.
“We would anticipate a bit of rehabilitation work to convert it..the budget around that would be part of another reported we indicated at a previous Council meeting to inform Council of,” Mickelborough replied.
Asked by Councillor Swanson if the work would have to be approved by Council Mickelborough stated no as the budget request was based upon the concept presented which is the demolition of the bridge, any subsequent change in work was up for Council approval.
“So there may be some money found if that bridge can be rehabilitated. And again dependent upon the discussions with CN regarding the cost share and ownership,” Mickelborough replied.
Councillor Swanson said he was opposed to making the bridge an upgraded pedestrian thoroughfare due to the financial commitments the City is facing.
“Given our financial situation and the debt we are incurring to me spending any money other than putting a jersey barrier at each end of the bridge and preventing vehicular traffic from crossing it is like spending money so that it would be a nicer pedestrian bridge to me I just do not know how that it would hit our list of priorities to tell you the truth given all the other things we have,” Councillor Swanson said.
“I would advise Council there will be requirements for that bridge to be made safe for pedestrians and if it is not, if it doesn’t meet safety requirements for those pedestrains it would pose a liability to the City,” Mickelbrough said.
“So it is not safe for pedestrians?” Councillor Swanson asked.
“The recommendation has been to demolish the bridge,” Mickelborough replied.
Swanson pressed his questioning on the actual safety of the bridge.
“We have had sturctural assessments of the bridge which deem it insufficient and outdated and bridge experts say the bridge should be demolished,” Mickelborough replied.
Council was told the cost to demolish the Coteau Street Bridge was between $650,000 and $1 million. The variable cost was due to the presence of lead in the paint. Lead paint is considered an environmental contaminent as well as health risk thus requiring special mitigation and disposal.
“The bridge isn’t closed right now. I look at our five year capital plan and wonder where all of the money is going to come from when there is $650,000 to $1 million dedicated to a bridge that is not closed, it is being recommended being made into a pedestrian bridge which is you could spend a bunch of money doing that or not doing that. I am told the bridge is not closed. I drove over it myself not long ago. We don’t have that kind of money floating around to start spending money on the Coteau Street Bridge. Where would that get on our list of priorities? Number 138? Number 2?”
“Maybe it is not number one on our priorities list but it is still number one on our list going for sure, structures in our City are safe and I will say what was said to me last week that if something should be done about it let’s make a motion. Then make a motion and close it as is. We cannot have Administration bring forward their professional advice to us,” Councillor Heather Eby said.
She went on to state Council would be mad at Administration if something did happen and Council was not provided with the information. She went on to state Council as well as Administration were unaware of what the report might say about demolition or conversion if it was demolition then so be it.
“Our job is if we don’t want that tell them to close it, take it out of the budget and carry on. This is silly. This absolutley silly,” Councillor Eby stated.
Councillor Chris Warren reiterated he supprorted Councillor Eby’s remarks for Administration to have time to prepare a report.
Councillor Swanson said he would not challenge putting the bridge number one safety-wise ahead of the 4th Avenue Bridge and some intrersections being ugraded in terms of safety.
“My point is we don’t have the money for everything that needs to be done…there isn’t enough money for everything that is why I am challenging the priority of the Coteau Street Bridge as I think most people in Moose Jaw would,” he said.
No final decision was made by Council on the issue as the budget deliberations continue.
The bridge remains open to vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic.