The old Finlayson Island bridges will be viewed through the camera lens of a drone as part of the latest inspection process. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

In the chambers

Finlayson Island bridges to be inspected with help from a drone

May 20, 2020 | 5:19 PM

The Town of Battleford will use a drone service to get a bird’s eye view of the underbelly of the old truss bridges connected to Finlayson Island along with the bi-annual inspection work.

The old truss bridges are slated for extensive repairs.

Council approved administration’s recommendation to authorize Associated Engineering to use Skyreel Aerial Imaging Inc. services to view the bridge infrastructure for a more comprehensive inspection, with the cost not to exceed $10,301. The total cost includes using the service to inspect both the south and north channel truss bridges across the North Saskatchewan River that date back to 1905.

“The cost is broken across two significant spans of the bridge, so it will be interesting to see what the underside looks like,” Mayor Ames Leslie said.

Council previously asked for more information and a request for proposals before making a decision on the drone cost. However, no other bids were received for this specialized service for the bridges.

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The town’s engineering services previously recommended the more extensive inspection using drones for a thorough inspection of these bridges.

About $25,000 was carried over in reserve from the 2018 inspection, which can cover the cost of the extra inspection work using the drone service. A total of about $15,000 has already been approved in the town’s budget for the separate bi-annual inspection cost.

“The bridges are a critical part of Battleford’s identity and provide access across the river,” CAO John Enns-Wind said in his report. “The more costs that can be reasonably determined, the more accurate long-term financial planning can occur to rehabilitate the bridges.”

The total cost to repair and maintain the truss bridges to a “good” condition is about $4.9 million based on a 10-year rehabilitation plan, according to the last estimate.

The CAO said the further level of inspection will make it easier for the town to work with other municipal jurisdictions and levels of government to ensure the bridges can be rehabilitated.

Stephen Chiasson of Associated Engineering Ltd. who has performed the inspection of the North Saskatchewan River truss bridges since 2009, stated in his submitted report when reviewing the proposed bid that SkyReel “offers the town a good value for this inspection” for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) drone services.

Associated Engineering is scheduled to make a visual inspection of the bridges between June 22 to 26.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW