Winnipeg advised to fix up 114-year-old Louise Bridge instead of replacing it

Winnipeg is being advised tomake substantial repairs to the 114-year-old Louise Bridge instead of building a new span over the Red River between Point Douglas and Elmwood.

In a report to city council, Winnipegengineering manager Brad Neirinckis recommending the city extend the life of the existing two-laneLouise Bridge by another 30 years instead of replacing it with a brand-new structure that would have more lanes for vehicles, as well as dedicated lanes for buses.

The rehabilitation would serve as a medium-term stopgap until anewer and wider bridge is built as part of the construction of a future transit line connecting downtown Winnipeg with Transcona, Neirinck writes.

The existing two-lane bridge should be able to handle traffic in the meantime, he adds.

"The traffic analysis suggests that the existing two-lane bridge would provide adequate capacity for vehicular traffic until around 2050," Neirinck writes.

"Traffic analysis indicates the existing bridge is near or at capacity in morning rush hour based on 2023 traffic counts. However, there has been a 10 per cent decrease in traffic since 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels and only modest traffic growth is projected."

The Louise Bridge was completed in 1910, when it replaced an earlier rail bridge built in 1881. The piers below the current bridge are all that's left of the original railway-bridge piers.

The city has been talking about replacing it since 2006 and has looked at options for adding more lanes, including some dedicated to transit.

The bridge requires annual closures for minor repairs to keep it open but will soon require more work to mitigate "extensive bridge deck deterioration, non-functional support bearings, structural steel deteriorationand underwater river pier deterioration," Neirinck writes.

This work must be done by 2030 at a projected cost of $40 million, he advises in his report.

City council public works chair Janice Lukes (Waverley West) said she thinks the rehabilitation makes sense, compared to a replacement.

"To rehabilitate the bridge now, for the next 25 years, at the price they're presenting, I think that's logical," Lukes said in an interview.

Repairs over replacement suggested for 114-year-old Louise Bridge

30 days ago

Duration 1:49

Winnipeg is being advised to make substantial repairs to the 114-year-old Louise Bridge instead of building a new span over the Red River between Point Douglas and Elmwood.

Nonetheless, Neirinck said the bridge will need to be replaced, eventually.

"Even if rehabilitated, the existing structure cannot accommodate additional vehicular lanes or transit-only lanes. Thus, future extension of [Winnipeg Transit's]eastern corridor across the Red River will require replacement of the existing bridge," he writes.

In an interview, Neirinck said the bridge is safe to traverse in its current condition and is not in danger of a sudden closure like the one that shuttered the Arlington Bridge in 2023.

"It won't be the same as Arlington. This bridge is in a little bit better condition than that, but it does need work," he said.

Chris Lorenc, president of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association, said he fears city engineers had no choice but to recommend putting off replacing the Louise Bridge.

All three levels of government routinely underfund infrastructure, forcing officials to make do,said Lorenc, a former city councillor.

"That is a failure of disciplined leadership by elected branches over more than 50 years, and now it's beginning to rear its ugly head," he said.

Neirinck'sreport will come before city council's public works committee on Tuesday.