A housing development that would bring up to 2,500 new homes to Dain City will move forward whether there's a bridge over the recreational canal or not, Welland city council heard Tuesday.

"The project is not contingent on a bridge," said Stephen Armstrong, of Armstrong Planning and Project Management.

"It's a multi-phase project over years and years. There's capacity in the road system now, the bridge doesn't need to be there today."

Armstrong was before council on behalf of Empire Communities Ltd., the company that purchased the former John Deere lands, lands to the east of the former facility, and the former Union Carbide and Energex (Lakeside Steel) lands — called Canal Bank lands.

He and Steven Wimmer, of the MBTW Group, were before council to make a presentation on Empire's plans for its Welland properties.

The question of whether a bridge over the recreational canal — Forks Road Bridge was demolished earlier this year after it was deemed unsafe in late 2018 — was raised by a few councillors.

Armstrong said Empire is financing some of the work on assessing the remaining bridge piers, to see whether they can be used for another structure.

"We're open to partnering with the city in achieving the bridge construction," he said.

Not long before the recent federal election, the provincial government announced it had set aside $1.67 million "for the construction of the former Welland canal crossing," which is about 124 metres long including abutments.

The funding is part of Ontario's $480-million investment in rural and northern and public transit infrastructure projects that fall under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The province submitted some 350 projects, all of which had to be sifted through by Infrastructure Canada for approval.

The election put the funding on hold.

"We view a bridge as an important link for the community and we want to see it happen. It would be a great to have another option," Armstrong said.

Ward 6 Coun. Bonnie Fokkens said safety is a concern in the area now with only one road in and out of Dain City. She questioned how people in the Dain East lands, the first area that would see homes, would access their subdivision.

Armstrong said Forks Road would be the access point for the subdivision.

Between 700 and 900 units are expected to be built on the Dain East lands, bordered by Forks Roads to the south, the Welland Canal to east, and a rail line to the north.

He said there is no way to link the Dain East lands with the John Deere property due to an existing rail line between the two.

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