25 October 2008
Brockville Spending $250,000 on Railway Tunnel Upgrade
This interesting photograph shows the north portal of the
Brockville Railway Tunnel and the approach of the CPR line into the tunnel - 1946 F.C. "Ted"
Curry.
Brockville Ontario - It's better to spend more now and do
the job right, city councillors decided this week when they approved a $250,000 option to fix the north end of Brockville's railway
tunnel.
"If you're going to fix it, do it right," Mayor David Henderson said Friday.
"It's a key part of the city."
While city officials have long considered the south end of the historic railway tunnel, at Armagh S. Price Park, a potential heritage
tourism draw, the north end at Tunnel Avenue, just north of the downtown core, is fenced off and generally ignored by the population -
other than as a dumping ground.
An assessment of the tunnel's north portal, done last year by the engineering consulting firm Genivar, "concluded that the
structure is in poor condition and requires attention in the near future," according to a report from city staff.
"The two piers on either side of the entrance are shifting outward and the mortar is being washed out by ground water," adds
the report.
"Genivar's engineers are concerned that there is some risk that the structure could collapse and have recommended the city limit
access to the site to qualified staff and professionals."
Genivar's report proposed five options, ranging from the status quo, meaning the eventual collapse of the north portal and the
prospect of a costly repair, to full restoration at an estimated cost of $250,000.
At Tuesday's regular council meeting, councillors were presented with a motion to choose one of the less costly options, which would
have spent some $75,000 to eliminate water infiltration into the masonry from above and make drainage improvements at the ground
level.
Most councillors felt that would be a stopgap measure and the city would end up having to restore the north portal eventually.
"It would be pennywise and pound foolish," Councillor Henry Noble said Tuesday.
"Saving one dollar now to spend 10 later makes no sense to me."
Councillor Gord Beach, while disputing the notion that the north portal of the tunnel is a heritage site, said the restoration
nonetheless needs to be done in order to preserve the structural integrity of the area of Pearl street running above it.
Operations director Conal Cosgrove said Friday the city is now awaiting a design proposal from Genivar ahead of a restoration contract
likely in the spring.
CP 6511 exiting the Brockville tunnel - Apr 1966 George
Eland -
Brockville Museum Collection.
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