There’s good news and bad news when it comes to improving pedestrian access to the new multi-purpose recreation facility in Martensville.
The good news is construction of a temporary pedestrian walkway attached to the existing Highway 12 overpass is scheduled to happen in the near future.
The bad news is it will likely cost the municipality over a million dollars.
In a report to the Martensville City Council committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, December 12, Director of Infrastructure and Planning Matt Gruza said the city administration has been working with its consultants, ISL Engineering, and the Ministry of Highways to design a safe and functional overpass to connect the existing city with the new recreation facility and the new developments on the west side of Highway 12.
Gruza noted that in recent weeks, there has been significant progress made on the project.
“The Ministry of Highways has acknowledged the need for pedestrian access, and has confirmed that a temporary option using the existing bridge deck is the most logical solution moving forward,” said Gruza in his report. “As such, efforts are being focused on designing the safest pedestrian/cyclist connection between the two sides of the highway using the existing bridge structure.”
He noted the Ministry of Highways is currently determining the design parameters of the walkway.
Also under discussion is the criteria for when this temporary option would no longer be accepted by the Ministry, and another permanent option would need to be constructed.
The estimated cost of the project, including pathway, concrete islands and barriers, roadway modifications, granular fill, grading, and engineering would be in the neighbourhood of $1.2 million.
Martensville City Councillor Tyson Chillog asked at the meeting if that price tag included just the temporary bridge crossing.
Gruza responded that it was all-inclusive, and covered the entire pathway from the existing city all the way to the new recreation facility.
“Part of the reason for the expected cost is that the slope on the interchange is quite steep,” said Gruza at the meeting. “So there will be a lot of grading to build it up. It’s not a straightforward project, there are a lot factors, particularly with regard to safety concerns, that need to be taken into account.”
The objective is to make it safe for pedestrians and cyclists to get from Point A to Point B.”