Widening the Buckwold bridge walkway would cost $3M: city
It would cost about $3 million to widen the walkway on the east side of the Senator Sidney L. Buckwold Bridge, a city report says.
The report, which will be considered by city council’s transportation committee Tuesday, acknowledges the estimate for the cost of widening the walkway to three metres is an early one.
About $50,000 could be saved if any plan to widen the walkway is included as part of plans to rehabilitate the bridge scheduled for 2019.
“Widening the walkway would enhance the existing sidewalk and cycling networks by making it a more attractive choice for pedestrians and cyclists, supporting and encouraging active transportation trips,” the report says.
In addition to the estimated cost of widening the walkway, it would cost another $40,000 for a feasibility study.
The rehabilitation work planned for 2019 would result in only a slightly wider walkway from 1.8 metres to 2.1 metres. The planned work includes replacing the railings, making the barriers taller and repairing the concrete surface.
Representatives from Walking Saskatoon and the Buena Vista Community Association appeared before the transportation committee in June to urge exploration of widening the bridge.
There is no walkway on the west side of the bridge, although the rebuilt Traffic Bridge about 400 metres to the east is scheduled to reopen in October of 2018. The new bridge will boast 3.7-metre-wide pedestrian and cycling pathways on both sides.
The report notes the city’s active
transportation plan does not identify widening of the Buckwold bridge as a priority. Developing a priority list is expected to take several years, the report says.
A preliminary location for a possible active transportation river crossing, estimated to cost about $20 million, has been identified between the Broadway Bridge and University Bridge. More work is needed to finalize a location, the report says.
The city’s active transportation plan is a multi-project, long-term vision that includes three new bridges for cyclists/pedestrians and is estimated to cost about $250 million.