WINNIPEG - January 11, 2010 - Winnipeggers will continue to drive over the Disraeli Bridges during construction of the City’s Disraeli Bridges Project under the terms of a proposal submitted by Plenary Roads Winnipeg, the team the City chose today as the project’s preferred proponent.

The proposed plan will see minimal disruption to motorists and features construction of a new separate Active Transportation (pedestrian/cycling) bridge over the Red River, built alongside a new vehicular bridge, allowing Winnipeggers to use all forms of Active Transportation while crossing the Red River, away from traffic.

“This was the highest scoring proposal and the best value for money choice in terms of costs and benefits,” said Henry Hunter, the City of Winnipeg’s procurement process Lead for the Disraeli Bridges Project.

Key features of the Plenary Roads Winnipeg proposal include:

• During construction, traffic along the Disraeli will not be interrupted during peak travel times Mondays to Fridays, with a minimum of four travel lanes being available.
• The existing bridges will be replaced with new structures.
• The roadway will be realigned, and exits and entrances will be redesigned to allow for smoother traffic and pedestrian flow.
• A separate new Active Transportation bridge will be built over the existing river bridge piers, providing an accessible, functional and aesthetically pleasing crossing of the Red River. This dedicated bridge will contribute to the City’s overall Active Transportation network.

The Plenary Roads Winnipeg team comprises Plenary Group (Canada) Ltd., PCL Constructors Canada Inc., Wardrop Engineering Inc., Stantec Consulting Ltd. and Borland Construction Inc. The team has global and local experience.

The Disraeli Bridges Project follows the “design-build-finance-maintain” (DBFM) model of procurement. Under this model, the private-sector partner is responsible for all financing, design, construction and maintenance costs during the term of the contract, which in the case of the Disraeli Bridges Project is 30 years. For its part, the City will make a commissioning payment and then annual performance-based service payments to the private-sector partner. The new bridges have a design life of 75 years.

The City’s capital budgets have allocated a total of $195 million for the project. This is a preliminary estimate, and the actual amount may change as plans are finalized. The Governments of Canada and Manitoba have also contributed funding towards the Disraeli Bridges Project.

The Disraeli Bridges were originally constructed in 1959/60 and have served the City for 50 years. Construction of the new Disraeli Bridges is expected to begin in 2011 following finalization of project agreements, detailed design and environmental approvals.