News Flash
Rossi would repair Toronto bridges "off-site"
After his announcement to expand the Spadina Allen Expressway, mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi has continued to tout his transportation plans this week, today announcing his strategy to repair Toronto bridges.
Standing at the Jameson Avenue bridge, Rossi said his "rapid bridge replacement" plans won't disrupt traffic since replacement bridges will be built at an off-site location. He added that replacement bridges could be lowered into place in a matter of hours. Doesn't that sound expensive good?
"We've got eleven major bridge projects coming up," Rossi said, "and we can't afford to use anything but the latest technology,"
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I've built bridges. There are compromises with this approach. Someone really needs to give this guy a reality check.
Given how busy Toronto roads already are, it may be worth a try.
Are there any engineers who can confirm that this is actually feasable and not a cooked up dream and if so, is it a fiscally responsible idea?
History repeats itself.
Are any of the "media selected" candidates against an airport bridge now? Pantalone presumably?
The bridge I'd build would be an openable streetcar/emergency vehicle/bike/pedestrian bridge across the east channel, with the streetcars running down Cherry Street. This would relieve the massive lineups for the ageing ferries not to mention the price premium that people must pay to access the islands compared to the rest of the city. Cars could come too, if they paid a toll.
In the case of the Jameson bridge, not only did the super structure (Bridge deck & beams) need repair but the reason for the lane closure is to repair the middle pier and abutments. There is no way around the approach they’re using right now. If it was only the deck that needed to be replaced its easy to do onsite without interrupting traffic. It happens all the time.
What Rossi is proposing to me just highlights that he doesn't know what he's talking about. A decent engineering firm would include a rapid replacement option in the design analysis (bridge repair design is as much or more about how you stage the repair work as what that work is), and it would be selected if it came out as the best option. How you weigh the cost of delay to motorists against hard cash of the City is another question (rapid replacement is likely always more expensive), and you also need a large plot of land nearby for the actual bridge work. To imply that rapid replacement will always be better is just stupid.