AMP Highlights Bridges

Bridge conditions and closures have been a hot topic at past council meetings, but now a proposal is looking to address the majority of those issues.

During Chatham-Kent's first budget meeting of 2017, General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services Thomas Kelly went through phase two of the Assessment Management Plan (AMP).

The AMP includes non-gravel roads, bridges, large culverts, social housing, and the Public Utilities Commission.

As stated in the presentation, 50% of the municipality's bridges (that are larger than 3m) were built between 1960 and 1975 -- which is why there are so many bridges in need of repairs.

"Bridges has been a very strong topic of discussion for a long time," says Kelly. "We've been utilizing new technologies, working with our supply base on sufficient designs."

The 2017 draft budget has accounted for 1% of the proposed 1.96% tax increase to go towards infrastructure, but even if that is approved, five bridges would still close.

Those bridges are located on:

• Morris Line
• Owen Rd.
• Crow Rd.
• Mint Line
• Pollard Line

It would also involve 22 additional closures through to 2023, resulting in 27 total closures.

However, there is an alternative.

By 2018, the municipality could fix those 22 bridges that are at risk and repair the Pollard and Morris Line bridges --leaving only three bridges closed (Owen Rd., Crow Rd., and Mint Line).

This proposal would also involve keeping one of the Maple Leaf Cemetery bridges as a pedestrian crossover and a re-evaluation of the divestment list in January 2018.

Requirements for this proposal involve:

• Approval of a 1.63% tax increase for AMP funding over the next three years and then 1% for the remaining 20 years
• Approval of a $3.5-million transfer from reserves

"With this proposal we have defined for council very clearly what it takes to keep all of our bridges open with the exception of the three that are going to be closed," says Kelly.

This proposal seemed to receive great feedback as members of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and council members spoke to Kelly on their way out of council chambers.

"I'm very pleased with what I heard tonight," says West Kent Councillor Bryon Fluker. "I'm also very optimistic that as the budget process goes through I can face many of my constituents and say 'yes, within the next one to two years we are going to get your bridges done."

If the alternative proposal is approved, that could mean a change in the 1.96% tax increase proposed Wednesday night. However, nothing has been approved yet and there are many meetings still to come.