Liberal promises put plans for Margaret Avenue bridge on hold
Kitchener council is delaying a decision on the reconstruction of the Margaret Avenue bridge until it receives further information from the province that will help determine whether to build a new expanded bridge that would span the existing two rail tracks that run underneath it, as well as a possible third.
The bridge was shut down a year ago after a report suggested the structure could collapse at any moment. In September, staff recommended demolishing the bridge and replacing it with a new one that would span the existing two tracks.
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Since then, the bridge has been removed and, according to a report submitted to council, the design of its replacement is essentially complete.
Staff returned to council Monday with a new recommendation: that construction of the Margaret Avenue bridge be put on hold until the governing provincial Liberals provide more clarity on their plans for all-day two-way GO service and high-speed rail between London and Toronto. Running a high-speed train through Kitchener would require a third track, which the current bridge design cannot handle.
Rather than approve an indefinite hold on the project, councillors agreed to put off their decision until their next meeting, which will be held on August 11. Councillors also agreed to pay the original consultant an additional $275,000 to design a bridge that would span three tracks, rather than two.
Coun. Dan Glenn-Graham says he will support a larger bridge when the time comes to vote, though he hopes the provincial government will foot some of the bill.
"We just want everyone to put their money where their mouth is now that there's that commitment from the provincial government that they want to proceed with high-speed rail," he said.
Glenn-Graham says council will spend the next month and a half asking the province to help fund the larger bridge, which staff estimate will cost an additional $1.2 million, for a total cost of $7.5 million.