MD OF BIGHORN – After $75,000 was approved in the 2022 capital budget to construct a pedestrian bridge across Heart Creek in the Lac Des Arcs area, three design options have been brought forward.
Due to costs, only the first two options outlined by the engineering consultant ISL are being pursued by the MD.
“Option three is not recommended as it is the most expensive and too robust to fit in the vision of the community,” said Bighorn's environmental fieldman Kendra Tippe.
The engineering costs for the project are $36,000, leaving only $39,000 in the budget for the bridge construction.
The first option is the most affordable. It would use log girders but would have several issues. The main concern is the thin deck and single guardrail causing concerns for user safety and children would not be protected from a fall hazard.
It would also be difficult to source lumber for the 12-metre span, and the deck would not be flat, nor wide enough to allow users to push a stroller or ride a bike across. This option would fall within the budget set, costing only $30,000.
The second option addresses the concerns of the option one bridge design, but would cost an extra $31,000 beyond what has been budgeted, amounting to $70,000 total. This option would use steel girders.
The third option would use pre-engineered steel trusses with a timber deck and guard rails on both sides of the bridge. This option would cost $146,000. Tree clearing would also be required in some areas depending on the access route and the crane used to pick up and place the bridge.
To determine the next course of action, MD administration recommended going to the Lac Des Arcs Community Association.
Reeve Lisa Rosvold asked administration to ensure that not just the association is consulted.
“I am supportive of administration proceeding to seek input from the Lac Des Arcs Community Association, but not just the community association,” Rosvold said. “It has been identified to us many times; every community has members of the community that are not members of the community association. I think it would be remiss to not seek input from the entire community.”
To accommodate this, administration will solicit feedback from all residents, likely through a mail-out to determine which bridge option to proceed with.
