The plan to convert the century-old steel truss bridge on Blackbridge Road into a multi use trail passed the scrutiny of the city's heritage advisory committee this week.
The $300,000 project to retain the Black Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists will happen as the city builds a new concrete bridge over the Speed River sometime over the next few years.
The project will see the construction of a new high-load capacity two-lane bridge over the Speed, a multi-use path, canoe launch and cycling amenities.
The overall project will involve reconstructing portions of Townline and Blackbridge roads, as well as the intersection at Townline, Blackbridge, and Roszell Roads.
Design work is underway for the new bridge and the city expects to present those details to residents at an upcoming public meeting.
Proposed modifications to make the old truss bridge safe for cyclists and pedestrians include constructing new concrete footings on both approaches, extending to ends of the wingwalls to support new cycle height railings, and installing new cycle height railings on the existing bridge curbs and approach footings.
The work will also see the installation of a cover plate over the expansion joint at each end of bridge to eliminate the trip hazard for pedestrians and cyclists, reads a report from Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions.
The report says the modifications "will not adversely affect the cultural heritage value of the bridge and any new components will be made of the same materials to blend in seamlessly with the original materials."
Converting the truss bridge into a pedestrian bridge will allow the structure to continue to be used in its original purpose, which was to transport people across the Speed River, says the report.
Activities done from the bridge after it opened in 1916, like fishing and swimming, will be able to take place again because vehicular traffic in this location will no longer be a danger, the report states.
"In the sense of contextual value, the bridge will regain some of its lost cultural heritage significance," reads the report.
Built in 1916, Black Bridge, on Blackbridge Road, was recognized as a heritage structure in the late 1990s when it was included in Cambridge’s heritage inventory.
Council designated the bridge under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2003.
Recently, however, the bridge was identified as insufficient for the growing volume of vehicular traffic in Hespeler and it has needed periodic repairs because of it.
Most recently, damage caused by a transport truck that rammed into the steel truss in November, forced the City of Cambridge to undertake $130,000 in emergency repairs and recoup the costs from the driver's insurer.
The area to the east and south of the bridge was recognized as a Cultural Heritage Landscape (CHL) in 2016, and several individual properties nearby have been designated or listed on the Heritage Properties Register.
The bridge is included as "one of the most significant features of the CHL for its design materials and its views and vistas."
