Disraeli Will Be Safe - Doer: Build for the Future
The rehabilitation of the Disraeli Bridge and Overpass is one step closer to reality with a vote today at Council to proceed with the project using a Design//Build/Finance/Maintain model; however the opportunity remains for the Doer government to construct a second parallel two-lane structure.
“It is of primary concern to ensure that we have a safe Disraeli structure,” according to Councillor Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan). “By selecting the Design/Build/Finance Maintain model recommended by our public administration we are transferring much of the risk of cost overruns from the taxpayers of Winnipeg to the designers and construction groups involved.”
According to reports from the Winnipeg public service, the rehabilitated Disraeli structure will adequately serve projected traffic volumes and growth for approximately 20 years. However accelerated growth, improved transit facilities and the effects of the 16 month closure are not addressed.
“Northeast Winnipeg and East St. Paul continue to grow, demand for Transit services is rising, and the effects of a 16 month closure are going to be severe,” stated Browaty. “As much of the traffic growth is coming from outside Winnipeg, and transit is to be funded on a 50/50 basis with the province, a second two-lane structure should be constructed before the current Disraeli structure is closed and funded by the provincial government.”
On Monday, the East Kildonan-Transcona Community Committee unanimously passed a motion calling on the Doer government to fund a second two-lane structure. A local government MLA is also calling for a new two-lane structure, however Premier Gary Doer, MLA for Concordia was uncommitted to the project this morning on CJOB’s “Breakfast with the Premier” broadcast.
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SUBJECT: Breakfast with the Premier: Disraeli Bridge
SOURCE: CJOB Radio, 7:43 a.m., Wednesday, May 14th, 2008
Clip # 12318071.1
Larry Updike, program host:
Well, the North Kildonan city councillor, and even your own MLA Jim Maloway of Elmwood, calling on your government to help fund a six-lane Disraeli bridge and overpass. Will you do that? Have you heard about that?
Gary Doer, Premier of Manitoba:
Well, it’s been a bit of a political football to begin with. As a person who drives the Disraeli Freeway, I want to fully disclose that it is a matter… a route that I use from time to time. I would want to see an engineering report. So far I haven’t seen a proposal from the city as a total entity, as an administrative entity with engineering reports on what is the traffic flow, what are the advantages of having more lanes, how does that fit with… dealing with the new bike routes that are also proposed… in place… in many parts of Winnipeg, including in northeast Winnipeg? What is the arrangement… I believe they’re financing it through a private investment. How does that work? Over what period of time? What is the full costs of carrying this project? You know, I don’t write things out on the back of an envelope. This is a major capital.
Updike: Is this on a list for a multi-government funded project?
Doer: Well I would want to see… this is… everything is on a list, but in terms of taxpayers’ money, the mayor will want to know, and so will we, what are the other priorities that have to be met? There’s also a proposal for a… a Chief Peguis kind of through fare to deal with the traffic on Bonner, McIvor and other places. So it all has to fit together. What I’m saying is, we’re always open to ideas. We put money into the Kenaston underpass, we increased our roads’ budget fivefold to the City of Winnipeg, but I won’t make decisions based on politics. I’ll make it on the basis of engineering reports from the City of Winnipeg, who have the traffic experts hired and… and retained for purposes of making the best traffic decisions overall for the whole city of Winnipeg.
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