City files $4.6M lawsuit against Airport Parkway bridge designer

The City of Ottawa has filed a $4.6-million lawsuit against the company responsible for the design of the failed Airport Parkway pedestrian bridge, and has also suspended some of its own staff without pay for mishandling the file.

City staff would not reveal, even to councillors, how many employeesor which employeeswere reprimanded.

Mayor Jim Watson made the announcement at a finance and economic development committee (FEDCO) meeting on Tuesday.

The lawsuit was filed againstWSP Canada Inc., the company formerly known as Genivar.

"We are calling on Genivar to pay for the $4.6 million in costs that have resulted from their design," Watson is quoted saying in a city media release.

"This multimillion-dollar claim demonstrates our commitment to holding outside consultants accountable for the role that they played in this troubled project."

The bridge, which was supposed to be built in 2011, has been plagued by design and construction problems. The project was suspended in October after engineers raised concerns about the bridge's stay supporting system and steel anchorage piece at the top of the tower.

Last year, FEDCOheard the cost to fix the bridge would be an additional $4.6 million, pushing the total cost to more than $10 million.

The bridge is now expected to be complete by November this year.