The north bridge connecting Finlayson Island to North Battleford, remains closed to the public. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

By Josh Ryan

Still closed

Battleford reminds residents to steer clear of Finlayson bridge

Sep 12, 2020 | 12:00 PM

The Town of Battleford is reminding residents to stay away from Finlayson Island walking bridge, which was closed this July.

The North Span Truss Bridge, which connects to the North Battleford side of the North Saskatchewan River, suffered erosion during unexpectedly high water levels from heavy rainfall in early July. While the southbridge is still open, the north side has remained closed since due to structural concerns.

In the months since Mayor Ames Leslie said there’s been assessments done on the damage. The closure will continue as they gather more information.

“The bridge will continue to be closed until we can fully understand some engineering reports and studies that are being done on the bridge,” he said.

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One of the initial estimates had the cost of repairing the bridge’s structures at around $4,000,000, though Leslie said the administration has not determined any total yet. Even if the total is lower, there’s no determined course of action to cover this level of a project.

“That was not planned for and at any point identified to be needed within the budget,” Leslie said.

The town had unsuccessfully applied for PDAP funding from the province to cover the expense of repairs. Once a cost is determined, Leslie said they will look at what options are available to make the bridge open to the public again.

“There’ll be long term discussions to figure out how we make that happen.”

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports