Winnipeg councillor wants Arlington Bridge to become Reconciliation Way

A rookie city councillor is proposing to rename Winnipeg's Arlington Bridge to show respect to the city's Indigenous population.

Point Douglas Coun.Vivian Santos will table a motion at the Lord Selkirk-West Kildonan Community Committee next week to change the 107-year-old structure's name toReconciliation Way.

"I'm doing it as a gesture and because it is very symbolic. I want to be able to reach out to the Indigenous community," Santos said.

"It's in the centre of Winnipeg, in the middle of the city, and connects the North End to the south end. We're reconciling the entire city and bridging that gap."

Shehaddiscussed the idea while working asexecutive assistant to Mike Pagtakhan, the area's long-time councillor. Hedecided not to run in last year's civic election, opening the door for Santos to run for his seat on council, which she won.

"When he sprung it on me that he wasn't seeking re-election, Mike said, 'Go ahead, you can use this for yourself. It's a great motion and I'll let you take it.'"

The Arlington Bridge, which spans the railway yards that separate the North End from downtown Winnipeg,was completed in 1912 and has undergone numerous repairs.City council was first told in 1967 that it was approaching the end of its useful life, but replacement plans have routinely been put off in favour of repairs.

In 2014, the city revealed the bridge hadbeen found unsafe for driversand should be closed within five years.It then launched ayear-long study to figure out if it should be rebuilt, or if drivers can get through the area a different way.

Two years later,the cityallocated $2 million for a preliminary bridge replacement study. That resulted in estimates of just over $330 million for a new bridge, with construction to begin in 2020.

The city then turned toWinnipeggers for feedback, hosting a series of open houses, and unveiled the latest design and proposal early in 2018.

The designpreferred by city engineersis a 550-metre bridge supported in the centre by a steel-tied arch that would rise 45 metres off the ground.

The new bridge would also be three lanes wide, rather than the currenttwo, but would be expandable to four lanes in the eventMcPhillipsStreet is closed for construction.

The city said it would need to secure federal and provincial funding, then take another two years to complete a detailed design and acquire 46 parcels of land required to complete the job by 2024.

Santos said she expects the next update on the projectand the final designto come out this year.

Anew structure would take on her proposed name change, should it eventually be approved by council, she said.