The Coteau Street East bridge, the Ninth Avenue Southwest road and smart meters were some topics that city council asked city administration about during the recent regular meeting.
Coteau Street East bridge
Coun. Heather Eby inquired about the Coteau Street East bridge and whether there was any new information about it.
Bevan Harlton, director of engineering, explained that city hall closed the bridge to vehicle traffic — pedestrians can still use it — in May after a structural engineering consultant determined the structure had deteriorated.
City hall has been evaluating the structure monthly since closing it to vehicles and determined it remains safe for residents to use, he added.
Council decided during its 2021 budget discussions to tear down the 110-year-old bridge and split the demolition costs with Canadian National Railway.
A previous council report indicated it would cost $1.8 million for minor maintenance of the bridge and replacement in 2025, $1.1 million for conversion to a pedestrian bridge and replacement in 2025, $2.7 million for major rehabilitation and replacement in 2035, and $2.2 million for conversion to a pedestrian bridge and full replacement in 2035.
City hall could demolish the bridge between now and 2027.
Ninth Avenue Southwest road
Coun. Jamey Logan inquired about when the Ministry of Highways planned to address Ninth Avenue Southwest, considering that road was becoming dangerous on which to drive. The road is experiencing slope instability and slumping issues, which are also causing giant potholes.
The ministry met with city manager Maryse Carmichael and Harlton recently to discuss finalizing the project’s design, said Harlton. Once that’s complete — it’s 90-per-cent finished — the engineering department will work with communications to schedule open houses to discuss the construction.
City hall is waiting for the ministry to complete the design before approving it for tender, he continued. Meanwhile, the province is committed to repairing the slumping road this year and remediating the rest next year; undertaking the project in two phases is fair.
“I agree. I hope it will be taken care of this fall,” said Logan.
Mayor Clive Tolley agreed, saying, “Many people have been inquiring about that.”
Smart meters
Coun. Doug Blanc wondered how the smart water meter installation project was going and how many had been installed. He also wondered what city hall was doing to fix malfunctioning curb shutoffs, considering they needed to be operational if city crews ever needed to shut off water to a residence or neighbourhood.
City crews and contractor Neptune have installed 4,500 smart water meters so far, which is a 34-per-cent completion rate, said Harlton. The project manager says everything is on schedule and crews should install all 12,500 meters on time.
Meanwhile, as crews replace the water meters, they are also checking the curb shutoffs — the municipality is not waiting for homeowners to complain — to determine if they have failed or are malfunctioning. They then report them to city hall, which creates a rating list of ones that need to be addressed first.
Harlton noted that city hall is not linking the completion of projects, which means crews will continue to replace the smart meters while the municipality fixes the shutoffs using different methods if necessary.
“In the middle of next year, we will have a list of curb stops that need work. And then we’ll have to prioritize and figure out what to do,” he added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Aug. 14.
