Cambridge walking bridge going up in price
Posted Apr 4, 2017 06:56:08 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A special council meeting in Cambridge will decide the fate of a controversial walking bridge tonight.
The bridge is intended to span the Grand River in Galt, connecting landmarks such as the sculpture garden and the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture in the west end with the Old Post Office in the east.
The questions stem from a rising price tag, which started at $1-million and has since risen considerably.
A base model — already $400,000 over budget — would feature LED lighting and accessible ramps, but other designs would lead to an even larger price tag.
“We did have an architect design a weave pattern and lighting embellishments, painting the bridge, all sort of different add-ons — which would be nice, but aren’t necessary,” says Ward 5 councillor Pam Wolf, whose ward includes the west end of the proposed bridge. “So what this council will be looking at is to see which of the options we would prefer and which of the options we can actually afford.”
The bridge is part of the city’s “Back to the Rivers” plan, which also includes a proposed Gaslight District in the west end.
Wolf notes the proposed bridge is central to those plans.
“[The Gaslight District] is a $140-million investment. It’s going to have condos, offices, restaurants, stores, more parking,” she adds, “and the developer said one of his key reasons for doing the development was the fact that we were investing in things like the pedestrian bridge.”
