Dysart et al council is going back to the drawing board on plans to replace the Head Lake Park pedestrian footbridge after engineers recommended against a modular design.
Elected officials initially approved the $590,000 replacement of the current arced bridge with a similar model in October 2024, but a year later directed staff to investigate installing a bailey bridge instead. Council hoped the rethink would save money, with the modular design earmarked at around $100,000.
Public works director, Rob Camelon, told council March 24 the township’s engineer on the project, DM Wills Associates, found problems with the cheaper alternative.
“The in-situ soils do not have enough bearing capacity for the proposed structure… and the other part is, to maintain the headspace above the water level you would have to raise the bridge about four feet going with the modular design, which is going to impact the grading back into the park,” Camelon said.
Lowering the headspace between the water and underside of the bridge, currently around six feet, could cause issues with Transport Canada, the director said. “They want to see bridges go in as good or better on headspace,” Camelon said.
Coun. Pat Casey asked why that was a concern considering the stream isn’t passable by boat – Camelon replied that those are the federal regulations. Casey said he had a hard time justifying the near-$600,000 spend.
Camelon said the price may be even higher now given the supplier of steel sheet and tube piling, used in the foundation, has ceased operations in Canada.
“We may go to tender and the price could come back just ridiculous and we can’t afford it,” Camelon said.
With the underside of the bridge heavily rusted, mayor Murray Fearrey believes it isn’t safe to leave the structure in its current condition for much longer. He asked Camelon what other options the township had.
“I would say the project becomes a remove-only and we go without a bridge in the park,” Camelon said.
Council deferred the replacement.
