Morden residents only need to hang on a short while longer until the Alvey Street and Parkhill Drive bridges reopen. After overland flooding in the Spring of 2022 wiped out both bridges, they have been closed to foot and vehicle traffic, requiring residents to use alternative ways to access homes and routes in those two areas of Morden.
Deputy City Manager of Operations Santokh Randawa said today (October 16th), the Alvey Street bridge will be paved and Tuesday it's Parkhill's turn.
When asked how it feels to say that, he replied, "Well, that feeling great, but my fingers are still crossed, because asphalt work is dependent on the weather. So, we hope the weather will cooperate, and we can get it finished."
Set to open first in early this past Summer, then in September, Randawa admits there were delays in both projects.
"There was a conflict with utility lines that caused the delay, and then I will say there was some disconnect between, maybe, the contractor and the consultant. The projects could have been completed a month ago."
Randawa said the new bridges will be quite different than they were before.
"Before, Alvey (bridge) had two, 3-meter diameter culverts there, so now it's a precast concrete girder bridge, single span."
The cost of the Alvey Street bridge is fully funded by the Manitoba Government at $1.55 million.
The Parkhill Drive Bridge was partially funded by the government for repairs, but Morden City Council requested the ability to pay the difference to have it rebuilt. That request was approved.
"It was an arch bridge over there before, and the waterway was very tight through that area, causing issues. Now it's a 50 feet single span bridge, concrete box girder (prestressed). We hope it will eliminate all the flooding we used to have, because of that tight waterway through the bridge."
The Manitoba Government will pay $230,000 of the $1.7 million cost of the Parkhill Drive bridge. Taxpayers will be on the hook for the difference, the additional costs of the relocation of the utility pipes for approximately $200,000, as well as concerting costs."
Randawa acknowledged the road closures took longer than expected, and it was difficult for people to be patient.
"Yeah, it's tough for residents. They had to take detours, so, those regions were impacted with the construction work, and we understand that, but you can't avoid that stuff whenever new projects happen, or whenever you do a project, there is inconvenience. I'm really sorry about that. We appreciate the cooperation that we have received from the residents around the construction sites."
Randawa is hopeful for good weather for the bridges to reopen next week.
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