ELORA – Bridge 24WG in Centre Wellington will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Council heard at its April 25 meeting that only one bidder responded to the RFP to replace the aging structure and that bid came in at $4.49 million – almost $600,000 over budget.
“Municipalities across the province are receiving a reduction in responses to bid calls and significant increases in project costs in the bids received,” purchasing and risk supervisor Sandi Wiles wrote in the report.
The bridge, located on 1st Line between Sideroads 10 and 15, is a single span concrete bowstring arch that crosses Irvine Creek just north of Fergus. It was constructed in 1922 and was closed in 2018 due to structural concerns.
It was to be removed and a new one built this year but with this huge cost over-run, staff advised it’s better to leave this bridge a while longer.
“We’re not cancelling the project,” said manager of engineering Adam Gilmore. “We’re just looking at opportunities to tender at a later date.”
Councillor Ian MacRae wondered if another bridge could move up the queue instead, but Gilmore said it takes about three years to come up with the design, do the environmental studies and hire a contractor to build and there’s no other project that’s shovel ready.
“We don’t have the flexibility to move projects like that,” Gilmore said. “We’ll try to find flexibility in the 10-year plan.”
“It’s definitely disappointing for sure,” said Mayor Kelly Linton. “We like to get these projects done.”
