FAQs
Replace or Rehabilitate:
Q: How will Council decide whether the bridge should be replaced or repaired?
A: Council initially decided to replace the bridge in April 2009 after considering many factors including safety, accessibility, improved pedestrian and cycling amenities, heritage values, sustainability and traffic and business disruption. A decision to proceed with replacement was made to capitalize on unprecedented federal-provincial infrastructure funding. In January, an alternative approval process rejected the City borrowing money for replacing the bridge. In February Council requested engineers provide more information on rehabilitation options before choosing which option to borrow money for in a referendum.
Now that a rehabilitation and replacement option with 8.5 seismic upgrading have been confirmed, an extensive public consultation process will occur and based on the community’s feedback, Council will decide which project to proceed with in mid August 2010.
Q: What can be done to rehabilitate the bridge?
A: To rehabilitate the bridge to a comparable scope as the replacement option the rehabilitation option includes:
- Replacement of obsolete electrical/mechanical systems
- Upgraded structure to withstand M8.5 earthquake
- Repaired corrosion and repainting
- New non-skid riding surface on road bridge and sidewalk
- Resurface the rail bridge and convert into a multi-use path
- Dedicated pedestrian walkway on south side
- Improved multi-use trail access
- Retention of historic value of structure
Due to physical limitations the rehabilitation option cannot provide:
- Significant improvements at east and west approaches
- Active connection to proposed Harbour Pathway
- On-street bike lanes
- Removal of the “S” curve on the Victoria West side
Q: What would be included in a replacement bridge?
A: The new bridge will be built to the north of the existing bridge to allow traffic flow to be maintained during construction. A replacement bridge will include:
- “S” curve on west side road approach removed with a new signal at Harbour and Esquimalt Road
- 30km/h retained with traffic calming and landscaping
- 3 lanes of traffic maintained
- On street bike lanes
- Dedicated pedestrian walkway
- Multi-use trail
- Improved access for all modes at east and west approaches
- Built to M8.5 seismic standard
- 100 year design life
- Meets historic/aesthetic guidelines
Q: Why don’t you just reduced the rehabilitated bridge with two lanes and include on road bike lanes?
A: MMM engineering group analyzed the possibility of reducing the bridge to two lanes to include on road bike lanes using traffic simulators (2009 data). They found that reducing the number of lanes on the bridge would increase traffic queuing and congestion past Fisgard and Yates Streets on Store and Warf Streets respectively. In addition congestion on Pandora would increase and the intersections at the east bridgehead would operate at capacity.
Emergency responders are concerned that lane reduction and more congestion will increase response time.
It is also important to keep in mind that 40% more trips (all modes of travel) across the bridge are expected by 2026 as stated in the Regional Growth Strategy and Travel Choices.
Q: Why is there no rail crossing included in either option?
A: Council is committed to seeing commuter rail come into downtown but feel it should not be financed solely by City of Victoria taxpayers. City staff are pursuing other sources of funding but the City will not borrow money for the rail portion of the bridge.
Removing the rail reduced the initial overall costs of replacement by $12 million and rehabilitation by $23 million.
Funding and Costs:
Q: What will it cost to replace the bridge?
A: The June 2010 estimate for replacing the Johnson Street Bridge including improved road approaches without a rail crossing is $77 million. The Federal Government has approved funding up to $21 million through the Building Canada Fund towards this project.
With the Federal funding the total cost the city would borrow to replace the bridge would be $56 million.
Q: I thought replacing the bridge was estimated at $63 million. What happened?
A: The majority of the cost increase is due to delays. The total cost of the delays is an estimated $19 million. The previous estimate was developed based on construction costs at a five year low and there is considerable uncertainty regarding future market conditions. As the engineering consultants developed the requested Class C cost estimate for rehabilitation (from an earlier “class D”) and updated the replacement costs based on a longer timeline, some additional cost items were identified. Those include moving a Telus phone line duct and dealing with contaminated soil. It was also determined that due to the complexities of this project it is unlikely that a local firm will have the expertise needed.
Q: What will it cost to rehabilitate the bridge?
A: The updated estimate to rehabilitate the Johnson Street Bridge and convert the rail portion of the bridge to a multi-use path is $80 million.
Earlier “Class D” estimates did not include increased safety and accessibility features for pedestrians and cyclists, did not include seismic upgrading to a “lifeline” 8.5magnitude standard, nor did it include costs involved in making the bridge more accessible for wheelchairs or strollers by including a new multi-use trail.
The new rehabilitation cost is for a very different scope of work than the previous cost estimate and includes:
- Convert the rail bridge into a new multi-use trail for both cyclists and pedestrians with a connection to the Galloping Goose Trail and the future E&N Rail Trail,
- Replacement of the 86 year old electrical and mechanical systems
- Improved road surface for cyclists
- Seismic standard of M8.5
Q: Is there any funding for the rehabilitation option?
A: The City has a Contribution Agreement from the federal government for $21 million for a replacement bridge, however, if the decision is made to rehabilitate rather than replace the City can reapply to the federal government for funding of one third of the cost of the rehabilitation project. This will require the submission of a business case for the option, similar to the business case submitted for the replacement option, and an outline of how this option addresses the seismic vulnerability and life-cycle costing for the option.
Q. Would maintenance costs be the same for both rehabilitation and replacement?
A: The maintenance and repair costs, also known as lifecycle costs of a rehabilitation bridge will be more than a replacement bridge.
In 2010 dollars the lifecycle cost of maintain a new bridge would be $22 million.
In 2010 dollars the lifecycle costs of maintaining a rehabilitated bridge would be $42 million.
Q: What was the original contingency and why has it changed?
A: The contingency for the replacement bridge is 15%.
The contingency for the rehabilitation bridge is 25%. It is a lower percentage from the original estimate because the new estimate is a “Class C” estimate rather than a “Class D” estimate which means more engineering analysis of the project has been completed, providing more certainty to the project scope and costs. However, the City’s engineering consultants have indicated there is still less certainty when comparing rehabilitation with replacement because there are inherent risks in rehabilitating such an old structure which is why the contingency for rehabilitation is more than replacement
Q: What if we do nothing to the bridge and leave it as is?
A: According to the 2009 Johnson Street Bridge Condition Assessment Report, the bridge is nearing the end of its service-life with structural, mechanical and electrical components that need to be rehabilitated or replaced. The City must address the condition of the bridge by 2012 or risk closure.
Some of the problems that the bridge is facing include:
• Corrosion and pack rust affecting the structural condition of several steel beam members.
• Deteriorating or obsolete mechanical and electrical equipment that poses a considerable risk for the bridge being stuck in either the open or the closed position.
• Seismic vulnerability, as it was not originally designed or built to any seismic standard.
Timeline:
Q: How soon will the work begin on the Johnson Street Bridge?
A: A construction timeline will be determined once the results of a referendum are known in the fall. We will update this website as new information develops.
Referendum:
Q: Why are we going to hold a referendum?
A: In order to borrow money over the long term, the City must ask for approval from Victoria residents.
Late last year the City of Victoria used the Alternative Approval Process to gauge public opinion on borrowing to replace the bridge.
The Alternative Approval Process closed and Council was presented with the results of the Alternative Approval Process at a Special Council meeting on January 7.
With 9,872 certified forms submitted, Victoria City Council passed a motion instructing staff to gather more information related to both replacement and rehabilitation options, and to put bridge borrowing to a referendum at a later date.
You can find the updated technical and cost information here .
Q: When are we going to hold a referendum?
A: We are working towards a referendum in on November 20th or 27th. The referendum and the by-election for a vacant city councilor position will take place at the same time. The timeline will allow Council to review the updated technical information that staff and the City’s Owner’s Representative / consulting team have gathered and will allow for extensive public involvement.
Q: What will the referendum question be?
A: In August after receiving input from the community, Council will decide which project they will ask to borrow funds through a referendum.
The referendum question must specifically reflect the amount and purpose of the borrowing. In other words, Council is not able to pose an either/or question on rehabilitation or replacement.
Q. Who can participate in a referendum?
Anybody eligible to vote in a City of Victoria election is eligible to vote in the referendum. That means any Canadian citizen who is 18 yeas of age or more, lived in BC for at least six months and lived in Victoria for at least 30 days when the referendum takes place is able to fill out the form.
Transportation During/ After Construction:
Q. How are you improving access for cyclists?
A: The replacement option proposes on-street bike lanes and access to a multi-use path which would connect to the galloping Goose and E&N rail trail.
No on street bike lanes are possible with the rehabilitation option due to lack of street space. However, it is proposed in the rehabilitation option that the bridge deck be resurfaced to improve conditions for on-street cyclists. A separate bridge is also being considered to provide a new multi-use path which will connect to the galloping goose and E&N rail trail.
Q: Will I face dangerous machinery, chemicals, excessive noise as I walk across the bridge during construction?
A: The entire bridge project is subject to a triple bottom line analysis. That includes an emphasis on the environment. All consideration will be given to minimizing the use of any noxious substances. It is unavoidable that there will be noise during the construction process, but all efforts will be made to minimize the effect on those using the current bridge during construction.
Q: Will it be safe in the event of a natural disaster?
A: Council has decided to seismic upgrading the bridge to be a lifeline structure, which means is would be able to withstand an 8.5 magnitude earthquake, for either the rehabilitation or replacement options.
The Johnson Street Bridge is an important transportation and emergency response corridor within the region and is located in the most seismically active zone in Canada.
The need for the highest seismic performance is driven by life safety, disaster response, protection of investment and post-disaster recovery.
Economic Impact of construction:
Q: How will bridge closures affect Downtown businesses?
A: The economic impact study completed in June 2010 states that the impacts of replacing the bridge will be very low as there are only minimal closures required while the replacement bridge would built to the north.
Because a separate bridge for a multiuse path is not included in the project at least 1 year of full bridge closures are required. The economic impact to the downtown of rehabilitating the bridge would be over $13 million.
