Brandon City Council to Hold Community Information Session on Options for 8th Street Bridge

October 27, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brandon, MB – Brandon City Council is inviting all members of the public to attend an important community information session next month as it considers options for the future of the age-expired 8th Street Bridge in Brandon.

The 8th Street Bridge was originally constructed in 1934 and updated in 1968, with a major rehabilitation to the bridge deck undertaken in 1999. The bridge’s condition has been monitored over the past number of years, with a detailed bridge condition assessment in 2012 showing advanced deterioration. After a number of temporary and partial closures in recent years, the bridge was ultimately closed to all vehicle traffic in July of 2015 on the advice of Winnipeg-based Dillon Consulting Ltd., which determined its load capacity could no longer safely handle such traffic.

With assistance from consulting engineers at Dillon Consulting, the City of Brandon Engineering Department recently sought “Class D” estimates on a number of options to address the future of the bridge. That information has since been shared with Brandon City Council, which has instructed administration to further refine the options with “Class C” estimates. The options, as laid out below, along with their refined costing, will be the focus of an 8th Street Bridge community information session on the evening of November 19th, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Main Foyer of Brandon City Hall, 410-9th Street.

• Continued closure of current bridge (TEMPORARY) – This option would involve repair of the current hole at the damaged expansion joint ONLY and the possible removal of the bridge’s stairway. The bridge would remain closed to vehicle traffic, but remain open to pedestrian traffic. The structure would be inspected and evaluated twice a year. The project timeline for this option is estimated to be in the range of 6 months to 1 year.

• Conversion of current bridge to pedestrian-only corridor (TEMPORARY) – This option would include repair of the current hole at the damaged expansion joint, removal of the bridge’s stairway, and the modification of the approach grades to create a streetscaped pedestrian pathway. The structure would be inspected and evaluated twice a year. The project timeline for this option is estimated to be in the range of 1 year to 1.5 years.

• Rehabilitation of current bridge for passenger vehicle traffic (TEMPORARY) – This option would include repair of all current structural issues (expansion joint, decking and abutments) and the removal of the stairway to re-open the bridge with a reduced load capacity of passenger vehicles & ambulances ONLY. The structure would be inspected and evaluated twice a year. The project timeline for this option is estimated to be in the range of 2 to 3 years.

• Demolition of current bridge - This option would remove the current bridge structure with no immediate plans to rebuild. The project timeline for this option is estimated to be in the range of 6 months in order to work around the active railway corridor below the structure.

• Construction of a new bridge - This option would involve either the complete rehabilitation of the current structure in its current location or the construction of a new bridge in a different location.  The project timeline for this option is estimated to be in the range of 3 to 5 years.

“We, as a City Council, are facing an extremely challenging, but very important decision regarding this age-expired structure, so it is important to get as much public feedback from our community as possible, based on the options that are before us,” notes Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest. “As such, we encourage all members of the public to attend the November 19th community information session and to also become engaged in the other types of public outreach we will be undertaking in the next few months prior to making our decision.”