Was the new Traffic Bridge the best decision for Saskatoon?

Saskatoon's new Traffic Bridge is scheduled open to all traffic on Wednesday, 111 years after the original.

Debate on the design and what a new bridge should be like has been raging since the original was closed down due to safety concerns.

CBC asked Glen Penner and Lenore Swystun to reflect on the Traffic Bridge's history before it is unveiled on Tuesday and opens to the public on Wednesday.

Penner is a former Ward 8 city councillor and was part of city council's vote in 2010 to demolish the south downtown traffic to replace it with a modern steel truss bridge with wider lanes.

Swystunwas the chair of the municipal heritage advisory committee in 2010. She is the founding director and principal of Prairie Wild Consulting, a community and regional planning, development and community-based research firm based out of Saskatoon.

Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.

CBC:Do you think council made the right decision in December 2010 to replace the Traffic Bridge?

Penner:Absolutely! There were some who wanted the replacement to be strictly for bikes and pedestrians. I could not accept the idea of building a bridge without vehicular traffic. What we have is a structure that accommodates all in a safe manner. Wide areas for bikes and pedestrians and roadways wide enough for buses and fire trucks.

Swystun:As a Heritage Society, we steadfastly advocated and continue to advocate for a bridge rehabilitation program for the Traffic Bridge and Saskatoon's other historic bridges e.g. Broadway Bridge and University Bridge.

We presented to council and committees of councilexamples of bridge rehabilitation projects from across Canada and elsewhere.

Going back to 2005, we proposed to council that the bridge be seen as a centenary project and be restored. All along we based our efforts on how rare Saskatoon's Steel Truss Bridge was as an amenity and the unique story it played in the founding of our city.

We noted how bridge experts agreed that the bridge could be rehabilitated, particularly given the condition of the foundational piers which are still being used in part by the new bridge today.

What are your feelings on thereplica-like design of thebridge?

Penner:The design is similar to the original bridge and I like it. What it needs now are lights! (That don't cost a fortune but are attractive and colourful!)

Swystun:I chuckle and cringe as I hope there is no need for a Heritage Society in eighty to ninety years from now petitioning for the Traffic Bridge's rehabilitation because our decision-makers have not learned the lesson of valuing and maintaining our infrastructure to last longer than decades long but centuries long.

What do you recall about the moment voted in favour of replacing it?

Penner:Like any decision made by council, six votes are required. I was very pleased to see the number of hands go up necessary to move this project forward.

Swystun: Irecall our society being perplexed and extremely disappointed by the outcome. It was disappointing that the council saw the need for the historic bridge to be viewed as a wedge issue rather than an opportunity to set a bigger picture vision for how we want and need our city to be.From a heritage perspective it was a nail in the coffin for another significant heritage amenity in our community.

What does the decision say about Saskatoon as a city?

Penner:We are, after all, nicknamed the City of Bridges. I think this decision is another example of how reasoned debate results in reasoned decisions.

Swystun:It will become part of our indelible story as a community that we often times destroy our heritage only then to try and emulate it afterwards with the authenticity removed. I liken this choice to crushing an original Model T to create a replica Model T even though the original was restorable with some new parts added in. I am a big believer that there is room for old, new and otherwise in our communities. What I have been saddened by is that we still see heritage as too often something to be demised and foregone when making infrastructure decisions.

How do you feel about the Traffic Bridge keeping its name?

Penner:Delighted! At various times it was known as the Iron Bridge or the Victoria Bridge. I like the Traffic Bridge because it goes back to its origin, a bridge moving traffic instead of ferries moving traffic.

Swystun:The Traffic Bridge is the name that was given to the bridge at the time of the joining of our communities to form the City of Saskatoon. It has historic value and I can respect the naming of it as such. Research into the naming of the bridge was undertaken toward clarifying its name in preparation of the city's centennial in 2006.

What do you think the impact of the bridge will be in Saskatoon?

Penner:The addition of this bridge and the Chief Mistawasis Bridge will provide more choices for crossing the river and therefore, less commuter time. The Traffic Bridge will make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to travel from the Nutana area intro the downtown and visa versa.

Swystun:It is important for our city to really be mindful of our heritage landmarks as part of a sustainable future as we envision what we want as a legacy not just in a hundred years from now but in hundreds of years from now.

I hope that for generations in the very far future,we will still be able to reach back through time into tangible parts of our past that make Saskatoon what it was, is, and will be.

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