A surprise during bridge repairs in Woodlands County proved significant but was thankfully a minor cost

During the April 13 Woodlands County Council Meeting, Richard Twach, Manager of Field Services, brought forward a minor expense needing Council’s approval. In late 2021, Council awarded a Bridge Maintenance Tender to Bridgemen Services Ltd to complete work on several bridges in the municipality. One of the bridges (Bridge File 73646) is located southwest of Blue Ridge on Range Road 101.

As crews got busy, an issue became apparent. “They noticed that the bridge deck itself needed extra work to keep it legal and safe. At that time, it was approved to be repaired, so what this is asking for is that extra money,” Twach explained. Before them, the Request for Decision (RFD) explained that the wood had significant rot that would require the subdeck to be replaced. The damage was substantial enough to demand immediate attention. Deemed an emergency, the repairs were given the green light by CAO Gordon Frank.

In December, when Council approved the original tender, the total of $361,329.90 included the bid, engineering fees, taxes and a contingency in case something were to pop up that was not planned. This issue with the bridge deck is the perfect example of why having a contingency is an integral part of planning projects. The RFD stated, “prior to the discovery of the sub-deck issue, none of the contingency had been used. However, the total cost of the sub-deck replacement is $34,150, which leaves an unapproved balance of $6,995.” Had a contingency not been in place, Woodlands County would have needed to find the total $34,000 in their budget.

The bridge on Range Road 101 is a 6.1 metre long treated timber structure constructed in 1949. The work planned for it included repairing the wooden piles, wheel guards, and heavy rock rip rap for class one rock. That, along with the added repairs to the subdeck, gives the bridge quite the update.

The nearly seven thousand dollar price tag will come out of the 2022 Bridge Maintenance Operating Budget. Reeve John Burrows asked what was in that budget for bridge repairs planned in 2022. Twach responded that $400,000 was budgeted for the year and that the unexpected cost would leave them with $393,005 in the bank for projects approved now until the end of December.

Councillor Alan Deane asked if the 2022 Bridge Maintenance Operating Budget was fluid and could be moved and changed. He wondered if the money had already been earmarked for other repairs. “I guess it is fluid because we haven’t committed any of that money at this point. We’re waiting for the bridge engineers, who are doing their analysis and evaluations and then they will come up with recommendations of repairs for this year,” explained Twach.

Councillor Dave Kusch said that this repair needed to happen and that it’s not like they could stop the project. “We’re in this for an extra seven thousand dollars to get the bridge up to the safety standards that we need.” Kusch then made the motion to approve the expenditure, and he and his Council colleagues voted unanimously.

Once engineers complete their current look-over of bridges in Woodlands County and plan this year’s bridgework, Council will decide how to move forward, and another tender will be sent out to continue with the necessary upgrades to the County’s infrastructure.