"Heartbreaking news" is how Steve Falusi describes a City of Welland staff report calling for the Forks Road Bridge to be replaced by a causeway sometime between 2024 and 2026.

The report is before Welland council Tuesday and says the city should apply to a federal/provincial infrastructure program that would allow for a project valued up to $5 million.

It also recommends a causeway replace the bridge, either in the same location or elsewhere in Dain City depending on the results of an environmental assessment.

"During our recent open forum . talks of a causeway in place of Welland Bridge 18 were briefly discussed by both our committee and community residents and Mayor (Frank) Campion with City of Welland representatives and engineers on hand," says Falusi, co-chair of the Welland Bridge 18 Committee.

"The result was that replacement . heavily outweighed the choice of the bridge being replaced with a causeway," he says.

Sharon Major, the other co-chair of the committee, says the community is very concerned with the length of time and costs presented.

"The length of time is ridiculous. We expected two to three years - not six," she says.

Major says it's unfortunate that the city has a poor track record of ensuring prices presented are accurate.

"Remember it was $4 million to take down the bridge but they actually paid just over a million. So how accurate are their prices now for a causeway and the assessments?" she says.

She says city staff said a replacement bridge would be more realistic than a causeway due to the time frame involved with environmental assessments that need to be carried out.

In its report, city staff say the assessment could take three years or more to complete.

While some residents in Dain City have called for a causeway, Falusi says he has continuously proposed that the standards of replacement be mirrored respectively similar to Division and Lincoln street bridges.

"Esthetically it would show that Mayor Campion and council have a deep concern for the community, its future and its safety," he says.

Major says a causeway is filling in the canal with rocks and dirt, with a road down the middle and water on either side.

"If they do that at Forks Road what impact will this have on the recreational water area? Will this be a raised causeway with some type of duct to allow water flow?" she says.

Both Falusi and Major say there should have been better planning in the past when it came to the city investing in its infrastructure

"The city should have started a plan back in 2016 when they decided initially to replace the bridge and budget in 2020. Smart businesses or municipalities plan ahead. They should have been working on design and reserve funds from 2016," says Major.

Falusi says the Forks Road Bridge is what keeps Dain City as a viable asset to the city and outlying neighbours.

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"We (as a whole community) can be much more than we are. It's not what we want but what we need, and we need the bridge to be replaced desperately for our community's safety and growth and to build a better bridge into the future for our economy and well-being and to entice investors for its growth," he says.

Falusi says the committee will be at Tuesday's council meeting, and that Major will be making a presentation.

"We will continue to fight for the betterment of our community and the safety of our citizens," he says.

Nathaniel.Johnson@niagaradailies.com

905-684-7251 | @DaveJTheTrib

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