New Dain City bridge gets help from Queen’s Park, Ottawa
‘It’s an important project for our community,’ says Welland mayor
A new 124-metre-long bridge over the recreational canal in Dain City will reconnect its residents with the rest of the Rose City and beyond “It’s an important project for our community,” said Welland Mayor Frank Campion during a virtual funding announcement Monday morning. “This will enable faster access to highway and other transportation routes.”
The announcement — Campion was joined by Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey and Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff — will see $9.9 million invested in infrastructure in Welland as well as Niagara Falls, West Lincoln and in Norfolk County.
Badawey, chair of the federal government’s standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities, said Ottawa is contributing nearly $2.5 million to the bridge project.
Welland previously committed $833,000 toward a replacement bridge, while the province set aside $1.67 million for the project.
“This new bridge is incredibly important to connecting Welland to the surrounding communities and Niagara region,” said Badawey.
During Monday’s announcement, mayors of West Lincoln, Dave Bylsma; Niagara Falls, Jim Diodati; and Norfolk County, Kristal Chopp, spoke about investments in their communities.
In Niagara Falls funds will be used for reconstruction of parts of Drummond Road, Gallinger Street and Portage Road, and take them off CAA’s annual worst roads list, said Diodati.
West Lincoln’s funding supports reconstruction of St. Ann’s Road as well as the rehabilitation of St. Ann’s bridge.
And in Norfolk County, Big Creek Bridge will be replaced with a new two-lane structure, said Chopp.
The Forks Road Bridge which stood for 88 years was demolished in 2019 after being declared unsafe to vehicle and pedestrian traffic in 2018. Some 3,500 vehicles a day crossed the one-time lift bridge over the former Welland Canal, now the recreational canal.
“The opportunity to reunite a community is a powerful motivator when pushing our friends in Ottawa to support a project they might only see as infrastructure,” said Badawey.
He credited the Dain City community for working extremely hard to ensure the replacement of the bridge.
Oosterhoff said the infrastructure commitments in the three Niagara cities and Norfolk County will help connect people to jobs and other destinations.
“This investment is about improving the quality of life for residents in Niagara and Norfolk. I’m excited to see shovels in the ground.”
Oosterhoff said the provincial funding for the four projects is part of a $480-million investment in rural and northern and public transit infrastructure projects, under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
He said the province nominated the four before passing them up to the federal level.
Campion said the bridge will be as soon as possible and added there are hurdles with assessments and approvals.
“We’re pushing hard on those, and with help from Vance we’ll navigate through.”
The mayor said in addition to various environmental assessments with the city had to consult with Indigenous groups and work with St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.
The recreational canal is still a navigable waterway, but no large vessels have passed through the area since the canal bypass opened in 1974.
“There are a lot of things that are not required for the new bridge, but we still have to go through the process,” said Campion, adding the city will discuss those items with various agencies.
Dave Johnson is a St. Catharinesbased reporter for the Welland Tribune.
Follow him on Twitter: @DaveJTheTrib