Residents had their chance to weigh in on plans for the new Osborne Street bridge at an open house Thursday evening.
The existing 35-year-old bridge has some wrinkles, and is ready for a $17-million face lift.
"It's not in danger of falling down, but it's definitely time to get in and do some repairs and this work will allow us to extend the service life of the bridge by about 75 years," says the bridge project engineer, Matt Chislett.
As many as 40,000 vehicles travel across the bridge every day.
Pedestrians and cyclists also rely heavily on the stretch.
"The pedestrian crossing on the north side of the Osborne bridge, we do not need another traffic signal in this city for sure," says Cindy Wright, who walks across the bridge twice a day.
The new bridge will feature improved approach roadways and wider lanes. A divider wall will also separate cyclists, using the bike path, from pedestrians on the sidewalk. Right now they share.
"They ride and they don't give you any warning, they just all the sudden yell at you. ”˜Hey, I'm walking on the sidewalk,’ they're supposed to ride on the road," says Gerry Cairns, who lives in the area.
Some cyclists feel the plans still have some flaws, because they say the bike lanes will soon shoot them out into traffic at certain points, without warning.
"The one on the northbound just kind of starts out of no where, and the one on the southbound just kind of disappears," says Curt Hull, a member of Bike to the Future, a cyclist organization.
While the city says it's taking concerns into account, it admits there are limitations to how wide they can expand the bridge, and don't expect any major chances to the plans.
Construction is set to begin in 2011.
The city plans to keep the bridge open during construction. A study is being done to reduce any headaches during roadwork.
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