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Rotting bridge will undergo $350,000
repair
Bridging gap between
history and disrepair
reprinted from Red Deer
Advocate (Paul Cowley) November 10, 2010
Red Deer County
moves to repair historic train trestle with $350,000; Bridge could
eventually be part of trail network
A rotting historic bridge in Red Deer County will get a repair job.
County council unanimously approved spending up to $350,000 on the
98-year-old Mintlaw Bridge, a former Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.
span across the Red Deer River, about eight km southwest of the City
of Red Deer.
Evan Bedford, the county's engineering co-ordinator, said on Tuesday
that the east and west approach piers on the bridge are rotting
away. Engineers estimate the west girder sections of the bridge have
sunk about 60 cm. There is a concern that if the sag continues,
enough pressure could be put on the structure to make the bridge a
writeoff.
Even a heavy snow load could cause the bridge to move further out of
alignment.
Engineers are recommending that the wooden pier that is slowly
collapsing be replaced with a steel version. The work would be done
this winter when access routes are frozen, Bedford said.
The east end of the bridge is not as badly damaged and could be
repaired at a later date.
The cost of fixing the bridge was estimated at $250,000 for the
actual repairs and $62,000 for engineering work. To allow for
additional costs, staff recommended $350,000 be allocated from the
county's contingency budget.
The county bought the bridge from CPR in December 2009 for $1 and
assumed responsibility for it.
Councillor George Gehrke has recently checked out the bridge and was
amazed at how much has crumbled away.
"It's very sad to think we could possibly lose this," he said.
Maintaining the bridge would preserve a historical resource and
allow it to be connected to a trail system later.
The cost of updating the bridge enough to allow cyclists and
pedestrians to use it safely is estimated at $2.1 million. That
would provide a new deck, railings, pier repairs and new spans at
each end to reconnect the bridge to the banks on either side. No
decision has been made on that work.
Forth Junction Heritage Society president Paul Pettypiece attended
the council meeting and came away pleased.
"Of course, I'm thrilled. Anything that helps preserve that bridge
is good by me."
It's not surprising that some upkeep is needed on the bridge, he
said. "The last train was in 1981, which means there's been
virtually no maintenance on that bridge since then."
The society is dedicated to preserving Central Alberta's rail and
transportation heritage. The group has proposed a children's theme
park and transportation (museum) in Red Deer's Riverlands area. It
(is) also looking at creating another attraction somewhere in the
county featuring replicas of historic rail stations and a railway
park, among other features.
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Sam, left, and Bear, dogs owned by a neighbouring acreage
owner, play in the Red Deer River beneath the Mintlaw
Bridge's west side Tuesday.
Photo
by Randy Fiedler, Red Deer Advocate
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more about the
Mintlaw Bridge,
Alberta Central Railway and
proposed
ACR Linear Park
Dawe:
Mintlaw Bridge essential to region's railroad
heritage
(Red Deer Express March 2010)
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