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This article was published 27/6/2016 (1546 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City hall is considering building a new Arlington Bridge close to where the 104-year-old structure stands now.

The city has known for several years it will have to replace the iconic span over the CP Rail yards. An administrative report to Tuesday’s public works committee is proposing construction begin in 2020 for a three-lane bridge with protected, two-way bike paths, and wide sidewalks just to the west of the existing bridge.

Rough estimates place the project’s total cost at $300 million.

The administration wants council to approve further design work, necessary to get a firmer cost estimate and only after that has been approved, would the project go back to council for construction approval.

The administration believes that with support from Ottawa and the province, the city’s share of the project will be about $115 million (40 per cent of the total), with annual debt payments of $8.7 million.

The public works committee will make recommendations on the report to executive policy committee. It still needs to be considered by all of council.

The city hired a consulting firm several years ago to study the existing bridge and options for its replacement. A study team came up with nine options, whittled that down to five and then presented two options to the public last September.

The administration said the public consultation process found area residents preferred rebuilding the Arlington Bridge at its current location, seeing it as "a critical link for activities such as work, shopping and appointments because of its convenience, connections and multi-modal accommodation."

SUPPLIED proposed new Arlington Bridge, which is planned for construction in 2020.

The construction of a new bridge would be the first phase of a larger transportation project. A new bridge alone won’t be enough to handle the city’s growth by 2030, the report states, further recommending that to deal with future traffic flows, the city should either expand the McPhillips underpass or consider a roadway connection between McGregor Street (north of the CP Rail lines) to Sherbrook Street, on the other side.

Continuing with the second phase would depend on a series of factors: the functionality of the new bridge; the future of the CPR yards; population growth and transportation demand; changes in method of transportation (automobile, bicycle, pedestrians, transit); and land development in the surrounding area.

Engineering work for phases 1 and 2 is expected to cost $20 million.

To minimize traffic disruption and to keep the existing bridge open as long as possible, the administration wants to enter negotiations with CP Rail to remove a spur line, allowing for construction of the new span just west of the Arlington Bridge. However, officials said that would still require closing the existing structure for an entire construction season.

Without CP Rail’s co-operation, the city would have to demolish the existing bridge and build the new one at the same spot, disrupting north-south traffic flow for a much longer period of time.

The administration is recommending if council approves construction, then authority should be given to CAO Doug McNeil to approve contracts for consulting design and engineering work without having to go tender.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca