Mountain View County administration will report back to council on the cost of building a 40-tonne replacement bridge for Big Prairie Road instead of a planned 80-tonne structure.The motion was brought forward at last Wednesday's council meeting by Div. 6 Coun. Paddy Munro, who said the lighter-weight structure should lower the specifications from pre-stressed concrete to steel and could also reduce the height of the approaches.ìThe province has dumped this on us Ö then they've increased the specs and we have to pay for it today,î Munro said. ìWe have to do something that will work economically.îThe previous bridge was also 40 tonnes and changing the weight for the current design will not mean changing the planned width, he said.ìWe don't need Super Bees, don't need to do rig hauls on the bridge. We just have to give people access.îCouncillors voted unanimously to direct administration to investigate the option, agreeing also to consult the public in the area if the cost estimate warrants making the change.ìI never heard anybody talk about the weight of the bridge ñ just the width,î Div. 2 Coun. McKean said. ìTo me it's not an issue.îThe bridge, destroyed by fire in October 2009, had originally been slated for replacement this year after county officials negotiated a deal with the province to share 50 per cent of the estimated $1.6-million cost. In July, however, the lowest bid for the project came in at $2.8 million and, with the provincial share capped at $800,000, council voted to put it on hold for one year and re-tender it for a fall 2012 completion date.
