Moose Jaw city council received an overview of the city’s structure management program, detailing when bridges, subways and dams are scheduled for repairs in the coming years.
The city maintains 16 bridges, six subways and four dams, as well as the Snowdy Creek Dam located outside city limits. The goal of the program is to maintain and support these structures and to take tangible action following inspections.
The objectives for 2025, developed during the budget process, are based on recommendations from the Structure Management Plan. The focus will be on the Wild Animal Park Bridge, Corstorphine Bridge and Second Avenue Southeast Subway. The city will also complete detailed design work to rehabilitate the Sioux Bridge in Wakamow Valley and demolish the Coteau Street East Bridge.
A secondary objective is to finalize cost-sharing agreements between CPKC, CN Rail and the city for repairs to the Thunderbird Viaduct.
“Since this budget submission, and during the budget process, we got our ruling from the CTA and it was confirmed that we are in an 85/15 cost share with the rail companies for Thunderbird,” said director of operations Bevan Harlton.
The Thunderbird Viaduct budget currently has about 20 per cent confirmed and committed by the city. Fifteen per cent is owed by the rail companies, and 65 per cent of the cost remains unfunded.
Meanwhile, the Coteau Street East Bridge is awaiting confirmation from CN Rail on its 50 per cent funding commitment for demolition.
Harlton noted that numerous condition assessments were conducted in 2000, 2007, 2012 and 2017, but little actionable work followed, which is now reflected in the state of some of the bridges.
“We’ve done condition assessments, but we haven’t done work related to those previously,” Harlton said.
Council has now approved a specific capital budget line to allow engineers to act on those assessments.
Harlton said bridge inspections consist primarily of visual reviews conducted by structural engineers, which form about 80 per cent of the information the city receives on each structure.
Two key outcomes from inspections are:
- The Bridge Condition Index, which calculates the current value of all bridge elements versus their value if new.
- The Degree, Relevancy, Urgency and Priority (DRUP) Index, which compares deficiencies and faults across all structures in the city.
As of 2022, 10 bridges were classified as in good condition, three as fair, and three as poor. Among all bridges, subways and dams, 14 were in good condition, seven were fair, and six were poor.
Maintenance is divided into two categories:
- Annual maintenance includes basic repairs such as pressure washing, debris removal and sign replacement.
- Periodic maintenance includes more involved repairs such as guardrail replacement, pothole repairs and erosion control.
The current annual budget is $34,000 for annual maintenance and $115,000 for periodic maintenance.
Six bridges are slated for improvements in 2025 and 2026:
- Second Avenue Southeast Subway
- Wild Animal Park (Tatawa) Bridge
- Corstorphine Bridge
- Sioux Bridge
- Manitoba Street East Bridge (300 block)
- Main Street South Bridge (southbound)
The Coteau Street East Bridge and Thunderbird Viaduct remain pending due to funding uncertainties.
“If we can plug through in ’25 and ’26 with these six upgrades, we’re bringing a lot of these assets back into a manageable position,” Harlton said.
Upcoming projects:
Second Avenue Southeast Subway
Scheduled for 2025 at an estimated cost of $244,000. Repairs include:
- Replacing railing to current code standards
- Replacing leaning lock blocks
- Repairing concrete on retaining walls and sidewalks
Preliminary design has been completed.
Wild Animal Park (Tatawa) Pedestrian Bridge
Estimated cost: $280,000, slated for 2025.
Work includes:
- Replacing missing rail sections and upgrading the railing system
- Installing clip angles on piers
- Repairing the wearing surface
- Adding slope protection
Deck condition survey, structural evaluation and preliminary design are complete.
Corstorphine Bridge
Located on the far east side of the city, with repairs planned for 2025 at an estimated cost of $184,500. Upgrades include:
- Approach rail improvements
- Restoring the skid-resistant surface
- Slope protection
- Installing hazard signs
- Recoating railings and installing joints to prevent water leakage
Sioux Bridge
Estimated cost: $1.94 million. The majority of the cost is due to stripping and removing lead paint. The bridge is nearing a point where it may no longer be serviceable without upgrades.
"Sioux Bridge is at the point where it is either within managed condition within the realm of complete an upgrade and move it back into inspections and then do maintenance on it but it is very, very close to being off the plate,” said Harlton.
Planned repairs include:
- Abutment concrete and bearing repairs
- Wearing surface repair
- Replacement of missing anchor bolts
- Railing realignment
- Stringer connections
- Bracing replacement
- Upgraded coating system
- Tightening top bracing connections
- Slope protection
- Sidewalk and tripping hazard repairs
- Kick board and deteriorated connection replacements
- Guardrail installation at all corners
Manitoba Street East Bridge (300 block)
Slated for 2026 with an estimated cost of $337,000. Repairs will include:
- Patching abutment concrete
- Slope protection
- Utility conduit repair or removal
- Girder and railing repairs
- Wearing surface and sidewalk concrete repairs
Deck and structural evaluations are complete; design work is scheduled through 2026.
Main Street South Bridge (southbound)
Scheduled for 2026 at an estimated cost of $135,000. Work includes:
- Concrete repairs to abutments and pier caps
- Addressing abutment spill-through
- Installing hazard signs
- Upgrading railing to code
- Installing expansion joints
- Curb and sidewalk repairs
- Tripping hazard mitigation
- Repairing the wearing surface