Abstract Manager

The Arlington Street Bridge which spans one of CPKC’s busiest rail yards, opened on February 5, 1912, and is a Winnipeg treasure.  Rumored to be for the Blue Nile in Egypt, purchased for a discount by the Metropolitan of Winnipeg, this North End transportation link has a rich history, including plans for street cars, frequent structural issues, and often featured in Hollywood or Netflix movies.

The City learned about structural issues reported in the 1930s not long after the bridge opened. Funds were put in place for repair works in 1943, only to see the bridge closed again for repairs in 1946. Considered to be a problem structure, the City discussed replacing the bridge to reduce maintenance expenses. Additional repairs were required in 1947 and 1948. In 1952, the bridge was closed for six weeks for repairs. A decade later the bridge was closed for a month for substantial repairs.  In 1967, the City deemed the bridge was in its final phase of life.  Later, in 1968, the bridge was load-restricted to 9.1 tonnes. The idea at that time was to extend the life long enough to allow for the Sherbrook to McGregor crossing to be constructed.  Fast forwarding to today, the Arlington Street Bridge is in very poor condition and was closed indefinitely on November 21, 2023. 

In summer of 2026, the southern half of the 37-span bridge will be removed.  Careful planning is currently underway to remove the superstructure and several piers within the CPKC Yard.   Lifting truss spans from the underside via Self Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) causes load reversal within the truss members.  Tetra Tech has assessed the stress reversals within the truss for various decommissioning methods and developed a system to remove the century old bridge structure.   Built-up sections with rivetted connections represent a different era in bridge engineering.  The truss members needed to be evaluated for lifting and decommissioning loading while incorporating over 100 years of corrosion and deterioration.  Decommissioning scheduled for 2026 will be completed by the TAC Conference and Tetra Tech can present the SPMT removal method, successes and challenges.  Tetra Tech can also present the planned decommissioning method for 2027 which includes controlled demolition, via dynamite, for the long span Camelback trusses.