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Committee votes to set aside cash for Arlington Bridge

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/01/16/city-committee-vot...

THE City of Winnipeg could soon earmark $30 million to complete the first steps toward replacing the Arlington Bridge.

On Thursday, council’s public works committee approved a plan to devote future money to fund the demolition of the bridge, which is closed, and complete design work for its replacement.

The motion called to authorize $20 million of capital funding in 2026 and to allow the funds to be accessed this year as a “first charge” from that future budget. The proposal also calls to add $10 million to the 2027 capital budget forecast for the project, pending city council and future budget approvals.

“It’s a critical link to allow transit to go north and south. … I’m a big trades corridor supporter, and this will allow trucking and more vehicles. … There’s a huge component of active transportation, both north and south of the Arlington Bridge and people will be using it,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, prior to the vote.

The Waverley West councillor expects the city would take on debt to fund the work, if council approves the proposal. Lukes said the borrowing is justified, deeming the bridge replacement a “generational project.”

“I’ve heard a lot of feedback on the importance of the Arlington Bridge,” she said.

The preliminary 2025 budget did not earmark money for the bridge replacement.

Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) raised the motion for the funding, arguing the city must get work started to replace the “critical” transportation link.

“The motion will be to keep the project moving forward, with continuous design and planning. If we just didn’t fund anything right now, it would lie dead and there would be no work done because there’s just no authority to spend money,” Eadie said.

In November, the city released a proposal to replace the bridge at its current location. It would cost $166 million, plus up to $27 million more in interest, and require six years to build.

However, the city had just $149 million left to borrow within its council-imposed debt strategy when that estimate was released.

Eadie hopes to secure at least some of the funding from the other levels of governments.

The Arlington Bridge, which opened in 1912, closed suddenly on Nov. 21, 2023, due to structural concerns.

The latest price estimate to replace the bridge plummeted from a 2019 proposal, which was expected to cost $319 million and offer a much wider, three lane structure with two protected one-way bike lanes and two sidewalks. The new cheaper plan would produce a narrower, two-lane bridge with two shared, multi-use active-transportation paths.

Council will cast a final vote on the budget on Jan. 29.

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