Repairs planned for crumbling CPR bridge - News article Red Deer Advocate

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ACR / CPR Mintlaw Bridge

Ground Transportation
Heritage Preservation

Repairs planned for crumbling CPR bridge

reprinted from Red Deer Advocate (Paul Cowley) February 3, 2011

Work will begin before the spring thaw to repair a near-century-old rail bridge in Red Deer County.

A $121,800 contract to repair a rotting support pier on the former Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. span across the Red Deer River has been awarded to Timcon Construction (1988) Ltd., said Evan Bedford, the county's engineering co-ordinator.

The construction firm wants to begin work to replace the pier while the ground is still frozen and can support heavy equipment, said Bedford.

It will not be the usual construction project. The firm must lift a key supporting girder that has settled over time, crushing the wooden supports below it. The weight of the bridge on the crumbling support pier has caused an ominous 60-cm sag in the historic bridge about eight km southwest of Red Deer.

Bedford said an inspection showed the giant 30-cm-square wooden supports had over the decades been slowly crushed by the steel girder above.

Crews will first lift the sagging support girder and shore it up with temporary shims. The old pier will be removed and a new steel one slipped into place by crane and the girder lowered onto it.

"As much as possible, we've tried to get the new structure to resemble the rest of the old trestles," he said.

The last train to cross the so-called Mintlaw Bridge rumbled 33 metres above the river in 1981. As a safety precaution, the two ends of the bridge were later removed to stop people from walking across.

Last November, county council approved spending up to $350,000 to repair the bridge. Since the contract to undertake the most pressing repairs came in lower than expected, county staff are now reviewing whether additional work can be undertaken.

Restoration efforts will focus on the west end for now. A similar east pier is in better shape, as are three smaller piers.

"Right now, our main goal is just to get that wooden structure replaced that's being crushed because it's more of an emergency matter."

There were fears that if some work wasn't done on the bridge soon, it would have to be scrapped and a piece of the area's rail history would be lost forever.

Some would like to see the bridge become part of a walking and pedestrian trail. The county has estimated it would cost just over $2 million to provide a new deck, railings, pier repairs and new spans on each end to reconnect it with the banks. No decision has been made on that yet.

Bedford admits the project has struck a chord among some of the staff working to save the bridge, which at 633 metres is the second longest CPR bridge of its kind in Alberta, after one in Lethbridge.

"It's a beautiful old structure. It's part of Alberta's heritage and I think no one wants to see it tumble down or anything like that."