GUELPH – Wellington County is proceeding with plans for replacement, rather than rehabilitation, of the Badley Bridge in downtown Elora despite a call from a local organization to preserve the historic structure.
Elora Business Improvement Area (BIA) representative Marty VanVliet attended the Jan. 31 Wellington County council meeting to make a pitch for saving the steel-frame bridge.
Despite being advised during the consultation process that the county was unlikely to consider the more expensive option of rehabilitation, “merchants still picked saving that bridge as their favorite option,” he noted.
VanVliet said the bridge was built in 1963 “using the riveted steel style similar to what you see in the Brooklyn Bridge and the Eiffel Tower.”
Calling the bridge “an iconic local piece of architecture and part of the fabric of our heritage,” VanVliet stated, “The Badley Bridge has been the gateway to our historic village and has been pictured in paintings and photos for over 60 years, (it is) part of the reason Elora is postcard perfect.”
VanVliet also pointed out the bridge was deemed “culturally important” by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport in a review of the heritage impact of the bridge.
“I am here to ask the county council to recognize the need to save the Badley Bridge as a significant historic structure and critical part of our history,” said VanVliet.
He told council, “Our merchants understand the correlation of the tourist numbers and the historic features of Elora.” He pointed out millions of dollars in private capital have been invested “to maintain the historic nature of the village.”
“Elora’s a historic gem that’s economically vibrant and it’s in all our interests to preserve that vibrancy,” he stated.
Roads committee chair councillor Andy Lennox explained rehabilitation of the bridge was among five short-listed options selected from among 16 options considered for the bridge project, which began with an EA study in June of 2015.
A report from county engineer Don Kudo noted the EA study resulted in a recommendation the existing bridge be replaced by a three-span rigid-frame structure.
Lennox said during the review it was concluded rehabilitation would only make the bridge last another 20 years, compared to the 50-year lifespan of a new structure.
“To rehabilitate the bridge would cost approximately twice as much as replacing it now over the 50-year lifecycle,” said Lennox.
“While I understand the concern of those residents that live near the bridge and see the heritage value of it, we have gone through a fairly exhaustive process of public consultation that involved organizations like the Elora BIA, looked at all the alternatives, and the solution that’s proposed now is the one selected and so that’s where we are today.”
Councillor Don McKay pointed out the county is “not ignoring the heritage aspect” of the bridge and plans for plaques and a monument using steel from the original bridge are under discussion.
“We do have a heritage Centre Wellington group that has been involved since day one and will continue to be involved,” noted Warden Kelly Linton.
Construction on the project is anticipated to start with in-water work in the fall, with the major construction effort to occur in 2020. Lennox said a public meeting will be held in June.
