CENTRE WELLINGTON - Council decided to pause on replacement of a rural bridge north of Fergus, which was anticipated to cost $4.5 million based on the only bid the township received.
At Monday’s virtual meeting, Centre Wellington council decided to put a hold on the replacement project until township staff finds more affordable options tendering the project.
The bridge, officially called Structure 24-WG, is on First Line between Sideroad 10 and Sideroad 15 in the former Township of West Garafraxa. First built in 1922, the bridge was closed in July 2018 due to structural deterioration.
It was slated for demolition and replacement this year but the report says after 26 registered plan takers, only one bid was received.
That bid, by Looby Builders Ltd., was almost $4.5 million excluding HST.
Coun. Ian MacRae wondered if the township can reallocate funding to the next bridge waiting in line to either be rehabilitated or replaced.
“So, we have a three year cycle for bridges and culverts. Year one, we do the municipal class EA study; year 2, we do the detailed design; and year 3 we do the construction. So with that in mind, we don’t have a lot of flexibility to pivot the projects just given that we might haven’t satisfied the municipal EA detailed design just yet,” explained Adam Gilmore, township’s manager of engineering, during the meeting.
“We are re-evaluating what this means in the context of our overall 10-year bridge plan and we’re trying to find some stability in that plan to reallocate funds if possible. However, it’s not likely we’re able to do another major bridge reconstruction instead of that project this year.”
Township staff are trying to find different options tendering the project at a more affordable price.
“It’s disappointing for sure as we’d like to get these projects done but I appreciate the staff's perspective on this,” said Mayor Kelly Linton.
