‘Beautiful’ bridge opens in style ELISE STOLTE
City mum on whether contractor faces fines for 27-month delay in completion
Edmonton officials celebrated the grand opening of “an overnight landmark” Thursday and the reconnection of river valley trails closed for five years.
Cyclists and pedestrians were forced to take long detours on both the north and south banks of the North Saskatchewan River for the Walterdale Bridge project, which opened two years behind schedule.
But it’s a structure to be proud of, said Mayor Don Iveson. “This has become an overnight landmark ... Edmontonians are ready for this, ready to be proud of something so beautiful in their city.”
Already, Edmonton residents have been taking selfies, wedding photos and Instagram images from all angles. On Thursday, the Edmonton Queen riverboat cruised beneath it during the ceremony, and several motorcycles roared by, one revving the engine and popping a wheelie as the bike passed.
Iveson stopped his speech, turned and grinned.
“We’re coming for you,” he said, alluding to a new noise enforcement program now in a test phase.
John Walter, grandson of the Walterdale Bridge’s namesake, was happy.
“It’s beautiful,” he said, grateful the city decided to keep the name as they tore down one bridge and built another. The first John Walter lived and ran a ferry at this site at the turn of the 20th century.
The bridge arch is 56 metres tall, made out of 42 heavy steel segments fabricated in South Korea. The welding on those segments was what originally held up the bridge construction, resulting in late penalties for the contractor of up to $13,000 a day.
That would add up to roughly $13 million in liquidated damages on the $125-million contract if the city deems the contractor responsible for the full 27-month delay. Members of the industry have been watching closely, wondering if this will lead the city to reexamine the best ways of holding contractors accountable.
But Edmonton residents will likely never know how much the city collected, said Adam Laughlin, deputy city manager for infrastructure, finally speaking to the issue Thursday.
Contractor Acciona Pacer Joint Venture has already paid damages. But Laughlin would not say how much, if there are further damages under negotiation, or even what negotiation processes were included in this contract.
He said his team will report to council with the final budget in two years, once the full contracted warranty for all parts of the bridge are complete. But that will likely be a single number, he said. They don’t intend to reveal much more. “It’s for legal reasons that we’re not able to disclose much more than that we’ve collected damages.”
He said the main lesson learned from this project is that the city needs to better manage expectations. “With all construction projects ... it’s not an exact science. It does come with risks and challenges.”