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Future of Johnson Street Bridge For comprehensive information on the Johnson Street Bridge project visit: On September 8th, three design options for the new bridge will be presented by the Citizen Advisory Committee to City Council and the public for consideration. The City will be actively garnering community input on the bridge designs to inform a decision by Council on September 24th. In April, The results of an overall condition assessment of the Johnson Street Bridge were presented to Council, signalling the urgent need to invest in rehabilitation or replacement of the aging bridge. The assessment identified extensive corrosion in steel structural beams, obsolete mechanical and electrical systems and significant seismic vulnerability. Substantial investment is required in the bridge within two years to avoid further deterioration and increasing operational costs. On April 23rd, 2009, Victoria City Council gave approval-in-principle to replace the 85 year old Johnson Street Bridge. The City has applied to the Government of Canada under Canada's Economic Action Plan and the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund to received funding for bridge replacement. This is the City of Victoria's top infrastructure priority as the bridge is a vital transportation corridor to downtown with over 30,000 vehicle trips per day as well as thousands of pedestrian and cycling commuters. Council has directed staff to proceed with pursuing an expedited design-build process to meet the grant criteria. In July nine residents of Greater Victoria were named to the Johnson Street Bridge Citizen Advisory Committee. The advisory committee includes urban designers Sid Chow and Jim Kerr, cycling and pedestrian consultant David Cubberley, heritage expert Richard Linzey, sustainability specialist Allison Ashcroft, community representatives; former judge David Vickers, community representative Cara Segger, developer Joe Van Belleghem and business representative Margaret Lucas. The committee is chaired by City Manager Gail Stephens. Citizen advisory committee Terms of Reference - [PDF 14KB] Valued at $3.2 million, the engineering firm MMM Group Limited was awarded the contract to project manage the bridge replacement project. MMM Group provides engineering expertise in managing bridge construction, with previous experience designing and managing completion of 12 moving bridges. In addition to engineering expertise, consultants include an architectural and sustainability design team. A focus on sustainability and design components early in the process will provide greater certainty and reduced risk to the project. A project website is under development to keep the public informed and identify opportunities for public input. The Johnson Street Bridge was designed under the direction of Mr. F. M. Preston, a City engineer in 1920 and opened to the public in January 1924. Nicknamed "Big Blue" due to its distinctive blue paint colour, it is a Bascule-type bridge in which one end rises while a counter weight lowers on the opposite end. It connects downtown to Victoria West and is a common transportation route to west shore communities. To share your thoughts with Mayor and Council email Don Schaffer. Archival pictures of the bridge's construction in 1924: Presentation:
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