Whoop-Up Drive

By Connor Gunn/David Opinko

Council approves municipal ballot question on building third bridge

Jul 27, 2021 | 4:08 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – In the upcoming Municipal Election on October 18, a question will be posed to the residents of Lethbridge concerning a proposed third bridge connecting the city.

It’s something that has been talked about for decades in Lethbridge.

Now that Lethbridge city council approved that the question will be asked on the municipal ballot, it will say:

“Do you agree that city council should approve plans to construct a 3rd bridge prior to 2030 as a municipal capital project priority?”

The third bridge has been debated extensively over the years on whether the city actually needs it.

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Questions arose from residents of how much the bridge would cost taxpayers and how much money would be allocated from the provincial government if they were to step in to help.

With the addition of this question on the ballot, the city will add additional information regarding the following on their website:

1. Expected Capital Cost.

2. Current traffic volumes including peak and non-peak times of the day.

3. Impact of borrowing required funding on municipal taxes.

4. Impact of external grants, if received from provincial and/or federal governments.

5. Expected economic benefit due to construction.

6. Expected economic benefit post-construction.

7. Ongoing budget pressure associated with ongoing maintenance.

8. Estimated impact of greenhouse emission and environmental impact.

Formally known as the Chinook Trail Crossing, preliminary design work is included in the 2022-2031 Capital Improvement Program. In 2027, the city has budgeted $4-million to be spent on this work.

The current plan is to have the bridge across the river valley, connecting Scenic Drive South and University Drive West, tying into existing arterial roadways.

Cost estimates from 2009 were $142-million.

A few candidates running for mayor have talked about a third bridge as one of their key campaign promises.