Months after cancelling the construction contract for a new downtown pedestrian bridge in the face of “unforeseen challenges,” city officials have called off the project altogether.
As stated in a post on the city’s website on Friday, plans to build a bridge over the Speed River connecting The Ward with Downtown Guelph have been scrapped. Instead, city officials will look for ways to include pedestrian flow into another nearby project over the river.
“This decision allows pedestrian bridge options for the area to be evaluated with further input from the community,” the post states, referring to public engagement during an environmental assessment of the Macdonell Street bridge and Allan’s Dam structures. “It also allows the city to review a pedestrian crossing of the river holistically, and find the best solution overall.”
Since the awarded construction contract was cancelled in December, city officials have been considering and assessing the identified alternatives while “remaining fiscally responsible,” the post explains.
Last May the city announced four shortlisted options for the Macdonell Street bridge and Allan’s Dam projects, as well as possible limits to how they’re used.
In addition to “do nothing,” those options include rehabilitation, complete or partial replacement of the bridge and dam, prohibiting vehicular traffic, and retaining portions of the bridge only for viewing platforms and/or heritage purposes.
One of the options involves removal of the sluiceway and spillway in order to provide a trail underpass that connects the Trans Canada Rail Trail beneath the bridge – something active transportation advocates have been calling for.
