The cost to replace a high-traffic pedestrian bridge inside Owen Sound’s Harrison Park is going to be much less than initially anticipated.
City council during its meeting Monday passed a recommendation from the community services committee to add additional funds for the Harrison Park Rainbow Bridge replacement to the city’s next capital budget update, in preparation for undertaking the project in 2027.
The arched bridge spans a stream near a path to the main entry area of Harrison Park, and has significant damage to its steel structure.
It remains open and safe for pedestrian use, but city maintenance vehicles can no longer cross it.
Some preliminary cost projections were presented to committee in July, and the expectation was the bridge would require repair or replacement and the price tag would be somewhere between $413,000 and $680,000.
But Owen Sound’s Director of Community Services Pam Coulter recently provided an update to committee about the project, saying staff contacted companies that would be able to manufacture, supply and install a new bridge — and the quotes are significantly less than the engineering estimate.
“Based on budgetary estimates received, staff recommends a revised project budget of $160,000 is anticipated,” Coulter says in a report.
The plan is to complete to bridge replacement sometime next year.
City staff will also be developing a snow clearing plan for the Harrison Park Rainbow Bridge while the structure remains closed to vehicular access.
The Rainbow Bridge is a key link inside Harrison Park, connecting the pedestrian pathway from the entrance to the central park and playground areas.
The bridge was installed in 2008, and spans nearly 50-feet across a stream that connects to the Sydenham River.