Facelift for George Freeman Trail bridge

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Last December town council took a gamble with a decision to hold off on footing a $1 million bill to replace the waning George Freeman trail bridge, hoping market fluctuations of carrying the projects tendering service into 2018 would pay off and meet the project’s $800,000 budget.
The gamble paid off. While town staff was unable to provide an exact dollar figure before the Strathmore Times went to press, the final amount came in well under budget according to councillor Denise Peterson.
“All I know is council is very happy that the project came in significantly under budget,” said Peterson.
Construction will be underway at the end of next week on the bridge located on the east side of Strathmore on George Freeman Trail crossing the Western Irrigation District (WID) canal.
The scope of the project includes the removal of the existing structure, placement of culverts and backfilling, rip rap armor, bridge installation and more.
Upon completion, the new bridge will be a double lane bridge – one lane in each direction – with a guardrail on each side and a separate 2.5-metre-wide asphalt pedestrian walkway.
While an assessment in November stated the structure didn’t pose an immediate safety threat, the project was originally planned for 2017. However, a budget overage of $397,000 – equivalent to a 50 percent increase of the approved 2017 budget and a total cost of $1.197 million – halted the project’s progress last year.
During the Dec. 6 2017 regular council meeting, Mark Ruault, director of infrastructure and development services for the Town of Strathmore, addressed council’s concern regarding the discrepancies between the allotted budget and the tender bids received. Ruault said then, that the $800,000 budget was a result of the downturn in Alberta’s economy when the project was originally tendered in 2009. The high bids were also considered to be the result of the design details in the project that included a concrete headwall, a fancy rail and extended life of the culvert.
As the canal system operates seasonally until the first week of October, and no water may pass through the WID canal for work to commence on the bridge structure, work won’t begin until the end of next week. As a result the project will start later in the season than is deemed normal.
As cold temperatures affect the asphalt paving process, a gravel surface may last until the spring.
Workers will begin their prep work, identifying utility locations, and moving trailers over the next few weeks. The gravel pathway adjacent to the bridge will be closed and some areas will be fenced off.
According to the Town of Strathmore, those travelling to George Freeman School or the Strathmore Motor Products Sports Centre by using the pathway system, have access through the connecting bridge near Aspen Creek Crescent. The completion of the project is expected at the end of May 2019.
Construction will begin Oct. 5 resulting in the closure of the bridge, and a detour expected to last until Dec. 1.