Winnipeg Free Press

a.. Winnipeg Free PressLocal NewsCouncil OK's Disraeli refit; area councillors ignored bylineParse('By Bartley Kives')

Updated: September 25, 2008 at 02:50 AM CDT

WINNIPEG will forge ahead with a plan to fix the aging Disraeli Freeway against the wishes of every councillor who represents the northeast quadrant of the city.

City council voted 11-4 on Wednesday to approve a Disraeli Freeway repair plan that calls for new concrete decking and refurbished structural supports on the existing 1.1-kilometre roadway, which includes a single-span, four-lane bridge that connects Elmwood with downtown.

The $140-million plan, which calls for a new pedestrian-and-bike bridge to rise over the Red River three blocks to the east, will result in a freeway closure that may last as long as 16 months.

The city hopes to reduce that closure by writing incentives into a formal call for proposals to design, build and maintain the freeway, which was built in 1960 and then damaged by corrosion during the next 48 years.

Winnipeg's chief administrative officer will ensure the city chooses a private construction consortium that either comes up with a plan to speed up the Disraeli repair job or finds a way to keep two lanes of freeway traffic open while some of the work takes place, Mayor Sam Katz said.

But the mayor's assurances could not stop all four councillors who represent the areas most affected by the closure to vote against the plan.

North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty, Elmwood Coun. Lillian Thomas and St. Boniface Coun. Dan Vandal opposed the plan because they believe a 16-month closure is intolerable to northeast Winnipeg motorists. Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt believes the plan is short-sighted because the city will soon need to refurbish the 97-year-old Louise Bridge and must also build a new bridge to carry buses from Point Douglas to a future Nairn Avenue rapid-transit corridor.

"This is a city that sometimes thinks like a village," said Wyatt, decrying a lack of long-term planning in the city.

The northeast Winnipeg politicians said they would prefer to see Winnipeg build a dual-span, six-lane Disraeli Freeway that could accommodate traffic on one span while the other is under construction.

Rookie councillor Browaty called the single-span plan the biggest disappointment he's seen since he joined council, while Thomas suggested city engineers have overstated the cost of building a dual-span Disraeli Freeway.

Those engineers have placed the projected cost in the $300-million range. Katz said the city cannot afford the tab and is not likely to get help for the project from the provincial government.

"There's no pot of gold on Broadway," the mayor said.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

a.. a.. © 2008 Winnipeg Free Press. All Rights Reserved. Powered by McClatchy Interactive