More money could be required for a cycling bridge connecting the north and south sides.
Last night, Engineering Director Kayla Dixon told Council that creating a bridge from Vickers to Carrick Street could require reinforcement of a main sanitary sewer line.
“It’s not necessarily that the trunk sewer is in bad condition. The construction of it is susceptible to vibrations and to changes in pressures. It’s basically kind of built like an igloo.”
A report to Council says the issue stems from soft soil in the area of the proposed bridge, which could cause the vibrations from construction to interfere with the sanitary sewer system. It says the risks associated with the project will likely cause the cost to rise significantly, and suggests building it over two construction seasons.
That could cause its own issues, because the city has already received part of the cost toward the project from the province, but is running out of time to spend it. The money has to be used up by 2021, and Council discussion touched on the possibility of finding another similar project to use it that could be completed before the deadline.
A report will come back in February with options for how the bridge could proceed.
Previous discussions at City Council put the cost between $1.2 and $1.4 million, and the proposed 2020 budget includes $1.6-million for the work.
It was also suggested to consider other locations for the bridge, but Dixon pointed out that the Vickers-Carrick corridor is heavily favoured by cyclists who may not want to detour onto Memorial Avenue or Balmoral Street.
