BACKGROUND AND COMMENTS;

Members of Council have received a copy of the study done by A.E.S.L. regarding the replacement of the Kingsway Bridge. The terms of reference for the study required the Consultant to investigate the feasibility of replacing the Kingsway Bridge and provide a cost estimate for the work. The Consultant did not address himself to the issue of whether or not this solution is the most advantageous from a traffic point of view. The task of the Public Works Committee was to determine whether the replacement of the Kingsway Bridge could be justified by comparison with other alternatives.

. Although the completion of the Mary Hill Bypass will eventually relieve the Pressure on the traffic routes through the City, we do have a traffic problem which is current and immediate and which will no doubt get worse during the three or four years that it takes to complete the Bypass. We must do something in the interim to solve this problem. At the same time, we should not do something which spoils the long range transportation network tor the City. The Public Works Committee feels that the replacement of the Kingsway Bridge and the possible relocation of the existing bridge to the Red Bridge site is the best solution to meet the above objectives. The following points are made in support of this

recommendation.

1. The existing Kingsway Bridge works almost as a single lane. bridge during busy periods because of the number of trucks-and buses using it. We have, in effect, two. single lane bridges serving the City.

Either the Kingsway Bridge replacement or the Red Bridge replacement would previde immediate additional traffic capacity. If the Red Bridge were replaced at this time we would have about the same capacity as we had previousty. However, if the Kingsway Bridge is replaced and if the old bridge can be relocated to the Red Bridge site, we will have more capacity than we had before the Red Bridge was taken out,

Any money spent now on replacing the Kingsway Bridge will not be wasted since we will always require a proper two jane bridge here. The Kingsway Bridge is the oniy bridge which can connect the east and west sides of the river to each other. The proposed Como Lake extension wouldn't serve this Purpose because it would overpass Kingsway where it overpasses the

railway.

The existing Kingsway @ridge with its bad approaches and narrow width is a continuous traffic hazard. There were three accidents in the months of April and May on this bridge this year.

41

FG DAa teks MANETTE a as hi scesy nen einA Gor HAI AE Miata eaeS ABE ight hu hente tad ct

4

enw STA ABIES dae .