City looking into potential sites and costs of third bridge
By Lethbridge Herald on December 14, 2021.
Herald file photo
Motorists make their way to and from the Whoop-Up Drive bridge deck during an afternoon commute.Al Beeber – Lethbridge Herald
Lethridge city council has unanimously passed a resolution by acting mayor Rajko Dodic calling on City administration to identify potential sites for a third bridge crossing the Oldman River and to assess approximate costs.
A resolution Dodic made at council on Tuesday said there has been significant growth on the city’s westside which may mitigate against the proposed Chinook Trail crossing – that was confirmed as a third site in 2009 – as being the optimum choice for a third crossing at this point in time. The resolution also states that there is an increased likelihood of financial support from other orders of government if a third crossing was considered further south of the present proposed location.
On Tuesday, Dodic asked council to approve a resolution that administration report on proposed sites and the anticipated costs of a third crossing no later than September of 2022.
The acting mayor also wants to know the implications for residential taxes over a 10-year period if a bridge is built on three projected costs of construction – $200 million, $250 million and $300 million. He’s asked that a response be provided to city council at its January 18 meeting.
The motion was discussed after city council started an hour later due to an in camera meeting that went late.
There was lengthy debate on the motion, and two amendments proposed by deputy mayor Belinda Crowson and councillor Jeff Carlson were both defeated.
Crowson suggested the proposal would best be addressed through the Civic Works Standing Policy Committee which could then bring its report back to council in its entirety, calling it a holistic approach. But she said she would support the original motion as presented.
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How short is their memory at City Hall. Year’s ago there was a corridor of land reserved for a future bridge development, just south of Chinook Heights.
Now they want to look into other possible locations? Why? Does someone in City Hall have a vested interest in not using this reserved land?
Harkens back to a time when the city acquired all the land around the major intersection at Scenic & Magrath for a future exchange. Then they determined we didn’t need it and sold it all off to their friends. Now we have a significant traffic problem at that intersection, and we can never get that land back.
Once again, another council and administration lacking common sense.
Citi , it may well be that he expansion south on the west side of the river has made the Chinook Heights location less suitable. It would provide 3 bridges practically within eye sight of each other and less dispersal of traffic from areas presently congested.
Also, if I recall correctly, the Province said NO to any funding if built w/in City limits. Locations further south might make $$ sense – I suspect that is why costing is being questioned.
Okay, so in just 6 months the costs have almost doubled? In July of this year, this was reported as the costs: “The cost of a third bridge, previously referred to as Chinook Trail Crossing, would more than likely be in excess of $150 million.”
How do we get from ‘in excess’ to $300 million? One would think in excess means maybe $175-$200 million, or are we using the same technology that is used in forecasting weather to calculate costs?
How many have been stuck in traffic in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton or Calgary? It happens often in those cities and now is not the time to blow that money when there will be no federal or provincial funding because it it a municipal project!
Car pool, make better use of transit and slow down and stop creating accidents on Whoop-up Drive that create accidents on highway 3/Bridge Drive because everyone is in a big hurry to get home and is going to ‘bully’ their way through!
my god ,in the herald picture there is no congestion they are not bumper to bumper it is probably 4:30 traffic westbound watch it every day from a coffee shop. Had to go eastbound on Whoop last Sunday sure enough got passed on the right side by a brainless speeder he cut me off at end of the right merge lane. The Whoop-Up 500 has no LPS interest. There was the deal made by a previous council for support of Can-Mex they would get funding for a bypass around Westside and a bridge, noCan-Mex no bypass, and bridge funding. There are over 80,000 registered vehicles in this City. how many on the southwest side A plebiscite should be held a toll booth funding is an answer no borrowed dollars. How much debt do we need the last council with their spending spree left us with over $300m? Now we have a$299m bridge a $175m for performing arts building $16m curbside recycling, $22m for the organic program, $14, landfill open, closure and maintenance of landfill cells. It is time to give taxpayers a rest break.