Welding issues delay Peace Bridge project

The head of Calgary's transportation department says delays on the completion of the Peace Bridge should not cost taxpayers any extra money.

The opening of the controversial pedestrian bridge across the Bow River in Calgary is being put off for a second time.

Its original opening date was fall 2010, which was put off in September until late January 2011.

Now, the $24.5-million structure isn't expected to be finished until late next spring.

The delay is due to problems with the bridge's welding, the quality of which the architect wasn't satisfied with during inspections.

"I think it isn't so much the welds as the finishing, it's how smooth and how perfect is the welding that's more what the nature of the problem is," said Mac Logan, Calgary's transportation manager.

Logan said he heard about the setback on Monday.

"There should not be any additional cost to the city for this work. I mean, we contracted that bridge to be built, we gave the plans out to the market, it was competitively bid Calgary shouldn't have to pick up the extra costs for that," said Logan.

He called the latest delay a "disappointing change in schedule" that makes it difficult to regain support for the project, after public trust was thrown into question during the procurement process.

The bridge, a tubular structure that will connect Eau Claire to Sunnyside, was designed by award-winning Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.