Experts say the design of the Margaret Avenue Bridge in Kitchener makes it difficult to inspect because there is no way to guarantee that it won’t collapse.
The City of Kitchener has blocked access to the bridge. First, motorists were told to keep off. Then walkers and cyclists were asked not to cross. However, train traffic underneath continues.
Passerby Shelley Descotes wonders what would result if the bridge collapsed. “What would Via Rail do as far as the passenger traveling that route? What contingency plan would they have for those passengers?”
The line is owned by the Goderich-Exeter Railway. Several calls and emails for a comment have gone unanswered.
City of Kitchener officials say the rail company will conduct its own risk assessment, with their own team.
Officials with Metrolinx, which operates Go Transit trains, say they have no current plans to re-route their trains.
One report on the bridge has already been submitted by AECOM Technology Corporation. The American consulting firm did not examine the direct risk involved for train traffic and made no special recommendations for traffic flow underneath.
There is another, more personal, worry that has emerged since the bridge’s closure. During the summer months, the bridge is used as an open-air shelter for the homeless.
At this point, nothing is being done to keep people from living underneath the bridge.
The city may be in the process of re-assessing, however. Their original report has been turned over to another consulting firm for a second opinion. The second firm’s findings will be ready by mid-July.
