Saskatoon city council has ruled out banning motor vehicle traffic from any new version of the now-closed Traffic Bridge.

At Monday's city council meeting, councillors decided to whittle down a list of 10 options for the corroded, 103-year-old structure, the city's oldest bridge, so that whatever happens in future, cars and trucks will be able to cross.

Until last month, it carried about 7,000 vehicle a day across the South Saskatchewan River.

But last month, the bridge was deemed unsafe and in danger of collapse and on Aug. 24, inspectors closed it indefinitely.

City Hall is busy collecting public feedback about the span's future, with some suggesting it should come back strictly for pedestrians and cyclists.

However, the city is now down to four options, all involving motor traffic, but also with room for people on foot or on bikes.

Those options include:

  • fixing the existing bridge, at a cost of $27 million.
  • replacing it with a "conventionally designed structure" that would cost about $26 million.
  • replacing it with a modern steel truss bridge, similar in form to the Traffic Bridge, at a cost of about $25 million.
  • replacing it with an "architecturally significant" "signature" bridge, at a cost of $60 million.

The decision to narrow down the list of options was controversial, with six members of council voting in favour and five against.

Mayor Don Atchison was among those arguing that the city needs to move ahead as quickly as possible and a list with four options is the way to go.

Also voting for a list that excludes a car-free replacement was Coun. Glenn Penner.

"It's clear to me...to have anything there that doesn't have cars and trucks is just a waste of everybody's thought process," Penner said.

However, Coun. Darren Hill said scrapping the 10-option list is a bad idea and scoffed at the notion that four options would mean a quicker response.

"Sounds like a bunch of fluff," he said.

An open house to discuss the future of the bridge will be held Wednesday at 6-9 p.m. CST at Victoria School, 639 Broadway Ave.