Airport Parkway pedestrian bridge to cost another $4.6M

Fixing the Airport Parkway pedestrian bridge will cost another $4.6 million, the city's finance and economic development committee (FEDCO) heard Tuesday.

The bridge project was suspended in October to allow of a new team of engineers to determine how best to move forward after professional engineers raised concerns this summer about the bridge's stay supporting system and steel anchorage piece at the top of the tower.

On Tuesday, the city's solicitor, Rick O'Connor, told the committee he'll be seeking all costs and damages from Genivar, the company responsible for the original design, but that it's not as simple as suing Genivar for $4.6 million.

He also said Genivar has been banned from working for the city for two years, but that it has some current projects with the city.

Delcan, meanwhile, will design the fix for a project with an original price tag just under seven million dollars.

Delcan is recommending a cable-stayed bridge, including an orthotropic steel deck, steel framing and steel handrails, which the committee was told is a more common design.

The bridge is now expected to be complete by November 2014.

Coun. Maria McRae told the committee she was told the original bridge design could have collapsed, and she called the project a "disappointing disgrace" and "monumental failure."

"I'm relieved that nobody was hurt because of this but by the same token that provides little comfort to people that have to look at that partially-built structure going to and from the airport and certainly the residents who are denied access to that infrastructure," said McRae.

Genivar was awarded the design contract in May 2010. The bridge was originally scheduled to be complete in October 2011.

A third-party review of the project will be done by SEG Management Consultants and is set to start this month. Its findings will be reported to Mayor Jim Watson and FEDCO.