Article
THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Bridge will be gateway to city
Council approves $2M project
Joseph Chin
Dec 24, 2006
City of Mississauga councillors have voted to spend an extra $2 million to make a new city bridge the prettiest in the GTA.
When opened to traffic by the end of next year, the Confederation Pkwy. bridge over Hwy. 403 will boast features befitting a main entrance to Mississauga's City Centre, said Ward 4 Councillor Frank Dale.
"There will not be another bridge like it on the 400 series highways anywhere in the GTA," Dale said.
The $2 million will be spent on additional lighting ($500,000), landscaping ($500,000), railings, abutment enhancements, streetscaping and consulting fees ($1 million).
"The extension of Confederation Pkwy. provides an opportunity to create a gateway entrance from the city's northern communities and will have a significant profile from Hwy. 403," said Commissioner of Transportation and Works Martin Powell, in a report to Council.
Concept drawings show an open type railing, replacing the typical concrete railing, which will reduce the massing of the structure. The south side of the bridge features extensive terraced landscaping.
"The design," Powell said, "will encourage and attract pedestrians and cyclists."
The bridge has also been changed from a three-span to a four-span structure to accommodate the future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) facility. Since this section of the BRT is the responsibility of GO Transit, the agency has agreed to fund the $1.5 million cost of construction.