A six-lane bridge could span the South Saskatchewan River by 2016.

At its meeting Tuesday night Saskatoon city council approved the north commuter parkway project plan, including a new bridge that will cross the river near the northeast neighbourhood of Silverspring and connect with Marquis Drive in the city’s north end.

Councillors Charlie Clark, Pat Lorje and Mairen Loewen argued there isn’t enough information to support the need for a six-lane bridge and advocated for the original proposal of a four-lane crossing to save money.

But seven other councillors and Mayor Don Atchison voted in favor of a six-lane option, citing rapid growth in the northeast sector and the high cost to expand the bridge to six lanes in the future

Council also voted to combine the north bridge project with the replacement of the downtown Traffic Bridge, with the city saying that putting both projects together could save money.

Funding for the $194-million north parkway project remains up in the air with the city trying to secure money from the federal and provincial governments.

The goal is to have construction of the north bridge complete and open to traffic by 2016.