The Catharine Street footbridge might be replaced

By Amielle Christopherson

A discussion about repairing the Catharine Street footbridge has now turned into a debate about replacing it completely.

In April of 2010, City of Belleville officials said the bridge required patch repairs to its deck top, the abutments and pier. Extensive repairs to the underside of the deck were required and that the railing would need to be refurbished.

A total project budget of $230,000 was approved by council during the capital budget process in 2010 and 2011.

However, in 2011, there was an inquiry about whether there should be lighting and aesthetic upgrades such as concrete moldings and decorative railings added to the bridge, even though there were no funds put aside for this additional cost.

On Monday Feb. 13, council met and estimates were given for both fixing and replacing the bridge. Replacing the deck could cost between $870,000 and $1 million. Replacing the whole structure could cost between $1 million and $1.2 million.

Councillor Tom Lafferty and Councillor Pat Culhane said that they are both in favour of having the additional lighting on the bridge. They both also noted the lighting on the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge and said they would like the lighting on the footbridge to reflect that.

“Lighting is expensive. The lighting on the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge was very expensive. However, it’s also functional, attractive and is going to last a long time,” said Culhane.

“The city has already put in over $1 million into the downtown to try and fix it up and we’re going to put in a bunch more,” said Culhane.

“It’s small, but it can be attractive and we’re going to work on that.” Since the footbridge is a gateway between Catharine Street and downtown, Culhane said she would like to see it reflect all the time and money that they are putting into the area.

When refurbishing the bridge, the city might also look at making it wider as well.

“Biking on the bridge is a big deal,” said Culhane. “Having a biking lane would satisfy that.”

Lafferty agreed. “It can’t be used for other forms of transportation and it leads to the biking paths by the river.”

Widening the bridge would help continue the city’s plans for promoting alternative transportation and continue the long-term master transportation plan.

Whether the bridge is fixed or completely replaced, Lafferty said, “It needs to be done right away. Nothing’s been done to the bridge since the reports came out. We’re waiting for things to be approved.”

At the end of the discussion, the council agreed to defer the matter to operating budget talks, with the bridge being worked on during 2012.