Arlington Bridge removal to get underway this summer

The demolition of the Arlington Bridge could begin in a matter of weeks. CTV's Jeff Keele reports.

Demolition of the Arlington Street Bridge could begin as early as June 1.

During an emergency meeting of the City of Winnipeg’s Public Works Committee, a $9.9 million contract was awarded to tear down the south end of the bridge.

City engineers say there is a sense of urgency to get the project going now. They say work on the portions of the bridge over the rail yard can only be done in July and August, when train activity is slower.

They also say there is a safety component to consider, as the bridge’s condition is a hazard.

“This bridge needs to be taken down not only to continue progress to replacing the Arlington Bridge, but it is in such bad shape,” said Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski).

The bridge was supposed to be decommissioned in 2020. Patch jobs kept it open until November 2023, when it was shuttered for good because steel was corroding at an accelerated rate.

Because of the closure, the city says the Slaw Rebchuk Bridge and the McPhillips St. Underpass are each seeing more than 5,000 more vehicles per weekday.

The city says south side demolition will take up to six months, with traffic disruptions from time to time at Arlington Street and Logan Avenue.

Despite the start of the demolition process, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians might have to be patient. This is just the first phase of demolition, as the north side of the bridge has to come down too. City bridge project engineer Damir Muhurdarevic says he hopes that work can be done in 2027.

He also says design work on a replacement bridge is well underway. There is no funding in place to build a new one yet.

“And realistically, if funding were approved, about two to three years after decommissioning we would start construction,” said Muhurdarevic.