The state of some 635 bridges and culverts in the county and its seven lower tiers may be in question if measures are not taken to adequately monitor their estimated lifespan, do regular maintenance and plan to pay for any required work.
Of the total, 194 structures are owned and managed by the county and the remaining 441 are the responsibility of the lower tiers.
A report on planning for infrastructure spending that studied bridges and culverts in Wellington County was commissioned by the Ontario Good Roads Association (OGRA) and the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario and carried out by the MMM Group.
“Unfortunately, the study includes only 60 per cent of the lower tier municipal inventory due to missing data that was required for the needs assessment,” the report points out.
“Despite the missing data, a sufficient sample size was available for the study, and the results were extrapolated to reflect the total infrastructure inventory.”
Based on its study, the report concludes the county and its municipalities will require, over the next seven years, approximately $132 million, or $19 million annually.
The report acknowledges the costs may be higher “due to the potential backlog of bridge work that has not been addressed in the past.” If the backlog is addressed, the study continues, the annual cost between 2020 and 2050 would be reduced to between $10 million and $11 million annually.
“The same challenges exist for other Ontario municipalities with a large inventory of bridges that require repair and replacement over the next 20 years,” the report states.
The report points out that alternative financing and procurement (AFP) – a funding scenario which calls for a mix of private and public funds – could save municipalities between 16 and 20 per cent of costs associated with ongoing maintenance and new builds.
AFP could see several projects put together and tendered to private companies which would oversee maintenance and construction over a period of time.
It’s a plan the provincial government says “municipalities should consider.”
“Despite significant investments by all levels of government, more must be done to address current and emerging municipal infrastructure needs,” the report states.
County engineer Gord Ough said the report will be reviewed at the county level and by the lower tier municipalities.
“We’re trying to determine whether public, private partnerships will help fund bridges,” Ough said.
OGRA executive director Joe Tiernay said the county was an easy choice for the report.
“First we felt that it was a good representation of split responsibility between upper tier and lower tier municipalities for bridge maintenance. In some counties the county is 100 per cent responsible for all bridges regardless where they are located and in other jurisdictions, the county (or upper tier) has no responsibility for bridges,” Tiernay said in an email to the Advertiser.
“In Wellington, the county owns some bridges and the local municipality owns some. We chose Wellington (because) the county and local municipalities were willing to participate and share data.”
At the base of any infrastructure work and possible provincial funding is a need for a long term plan on municipal infrastructure. In 2012, the Ministry of Infrastructure released Building Together: Guide to Municipal Asset Management Plans to provide a framework to address municipal infrastructure challenges.
“This framework includes making asset management planning and public reporting universal, making optimal use of the full range of budgeting and financing tools, and addressing the infrastructure challenges that are confronting small municipalities,” the report notes.
“Provincial infrastructure funding grants would be conditional on published municipal asset management plans.”
It’s expected individual municipal long-term plans will be in place by the end of the year.
“The township is currently working with BM Ross on a road and bridge needs assessment,” Wellington North CAO Mike Givens said.
“The province has indicated that asset management plans are to be completed by year-end. The report will be a vital tool for the township going forward. Obviously roads and bridges are major components for Wellington North.”
