NEW BRIDGES SET TO OPEN
HOW MUCH DO THEY COST?
The public-private partnership (P3) project to build two new bridges spaced kilometres apart is technically the most expensive infrastructure project in Saskatoon’s history.
The total cost to build the Gordie Howe Bridge and connecting roadways was higher — close to $300 million — compared to the $252.6 million cost for these new bridges and roadways. However, this project includes operation and maintenance of the bridges for three decades. That brings the total project cost to $497.7 million.
The federal government contributed $66 million, while the province shelled out $50 million. The city’s debt climbed to $349.2 million as of Dec. 31, driven in part by including P3 debt. If you break down the construction costs, the Chief Mistawasis Bridge and extensions of Mcormond Drive and Central Avenue cost $211.4 million, while the Traffic Bridge tab is $41.2 million.
WHY DO WE NEED THEM?
The Chief Mistawasis Bridge will connect the eastern edge, where the city expects much of its future residential expansion, with the North Industrial area, where much of the city’s employment growth is projected. The extensions of Mcormond and Central provide a nearby South Saskatchewan River crossing for developing neighbourhoods like Brighton, Evergreen and Aspen Ridge.
The rebuilt Traffic Bridge remains controversial because many wanted to see a bridge for only pedestrians and cyclists. In September 2010, a month after the 1907 structure was condemned for good, city council voted 6-5 to narrow the options to preclude consideration of a bridge that could not accommodate vehicles.
Interestingly, none of the three remaining council members — Mayor Charlie Clark, Coun. Bev Dubois and Coun. Darren Hill — voted in favour of abandoning the idea of a pedestrian-cyclist bridge in 2010.
WILL THEY BE WELL USED?
Upon opening, the Chief Mistawasis Bridge is expected to accommodate 14,600 to 21,700 vehicles a day. That’s expected to rise to 40,000 daily vehicles when Saskatoon’s population hits 300,000 in a few years. The bridge features a two-metrewide bikeway on the north side and a 3.5-metre multi-use pathway on the south side. The paths are at the same level as the roadway, a departure from Gordie Howe and the Circle Drive North Bridge, where the pathways are suspended below the bridges.
About 11,000 vehicles a day are expected to one day cross the Traffic Bridge. The new bridge mimics the design of the 1907 original, only with four iron spans instead of five, but virtually nothing remains of the original structure. The rebuilt bridge features less cramped lanes than the original: Two 3.7-metre traffic lanes with three-metre multi-use pathways on either side.
Chief Mistawasis boasts six lanes and a speed limit of 70 kilometres per hour, which was just decided last week. The 270-metre length of the bridge is just shy of the length of two Canadian Football League fields.
WHO NAMED THE BRIDGES?
Chief Mistawasis became the first bridge in Saskatoon to be named as a result of extensive consultation with the public. The process to find a suitable name in the spirit of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples took months before settling on the historical Cree chief. The committee tasked with naming received hundreds of suggestions as a result of consultation, and involved Indigenous elders.
By contrast, the Traffic Bridge was named in 2007 to try to give Saskatoon’s first bridge for vehicles and pedestrians an official moniker before its 100th birthday later that year. Some feel the name is ridiculous and the public should have been consulted. The name dates back to its inception as the first river crossing aside from those for trains. Council reaffirmed the Traffic Bridge name for the new structure earlier this year. Many people still use other names, such as Victoria Bridge or Iron Bridge.
HOW MANY BRIDGES NOW?
The opening of two new bridges bumps the Bridge City tally to eight, but that includes the Spadina Crescent Bridge, a ravine crossing near the former Mendel Art Gallery that dates to 1930.
The spectacular, explosive demolition of the Traffic Bridge spans that attracted thousands of spectators in 2016 left the University Bridge as Saskatoon’s oldest. It was built in 1913 for $520,000 and originally included streetcar tracks that were never used and subsequently removed in 1947.
The Broadway Bridge followed in 1932 to provide work during the Depression. It cost $850,000 and boasts the steepest incline of any Saskatoon bridge at four per cent.
The Senator Sidney L. Buckwold Bridge cost $1.5 million and opened in 1966. It essentially replaced a railway bridge that dated to 1890.
The Circle Drive North Bridge cost $11.8 million and opened in 1983.
The Gordie Howe Bridge opened in 2013 as part of a $300-million project. Gordie Howe is Saskatoon’s longest bridge at 440 metres.