Valley Inn Bridge

McNally Foundation offers $1M to save Valley Inn Road bridge - Hamilton closed the beloved 'clickety-clack' bridge over safety concerns last December 

September 11, 2020 | Hamilton Spectator, The (Ontario, Canada) 

Author: Matthew Van Dongen The Hamilton Spectator | Page: A1,A2 | Section: Local / News 

698 Words 

A charitable foundation is offering up to $1 million to save the beloved-but-crumbling "clickety-clack" bridge on Valley Inn Road. 

The 56-year-old rattling timber span was closed to cyclists, runners and visitors to Royal Botanical Gardens natural lands last December after a city bridge inspection found failing support girders. 

A repair or replacement plan was complicated by the discovery that the boundary with Burlington falls in the middle of the pedestrian bridge spanning the outlet of Grindstone Creek at the harbour. A municipal COVID-19 cash crunch made repair prospects even more grim. 

That's why the Patrick J. McNally Charitable Foundation has offered to "cover the entire bill" for repairs up to $1 million, said Graham McNally, grandson of the foundation's namesake. 

That work could include using cranes to lift the rickety bailey bridge out of its half-century-old home, repair the structure off-site, and carefully placing it back onto refurbished concrete abutments - likely sometime next year. 

It's not yet clear whether a rehabilitated bridge would allow vehicle traffic once again. The current span was closed to cars a decade ago to prolong its life. 

McNally said his grandfather "greatly valued" public access to RBG, and the ailing bridge is an "important link" to the Grindstone Creek trails, marsh and birdwatching hot spots. 

The fences currently barring access to the bridge now prevent a valley link from the Rock Garden on York Boulevard to RBG's Laking Gardens and marsh trails across the creek. 

McNally said The Spectator's article about the fate of the bridge in February spurred foundation members like his uncle, Mike McNally, to talk to the city and RBG about ways to salvage the failing bridge. 

The pedestrian bridge also represents a "historic connection" to Burlington and neighbouring communities, noted Hamilton city councillor Maureen Wilson, with Valley Inn Road once used as the main road link - it was even briefly tolled - between Dundas and Toronto. 

It remains a critical part of the race route for 10,000 annual Around the Bay runners who must cross the span to reach famous Heartbreak Hill. The wood planks on the span also make it a popular, noisy trail for young cyclists who call it the "clickety-clack" bridge. 

Wilson praised the "continued community commitment" of the foundation, which also recently rode to the rescue of Hamilton's endangered SoBi bike-share network with an emergency $100,000 donation. 

She noted Hamilton is facing a multimillion-dollar pandemic deficit and the city was already struggling to find enough annual cash to repair bridges that carry vehicles and commuter traffic. There was no capital cash budgeted for bridge replacement, so far. 

"We understand COVID has made funding for things like (a pedestrian bridge) a challenge," McNally said. "So, in order to bump it up to a higher priority, we stepped forward to help." 

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger has a motion scheduled for Friday to kick-start a tendering process for repairs using the donated cash - assuming councillors sign off on the idea. 

If they do, the private repair job would still need to clear a few hurdles. 

For starters, repairs would not go ahead until project bids confirm the work can be done for $1 million or less. It's not clear yet what would happen if the work goes overbudget. 

Also, Burlington - the belatedly identified half-owner of the bridge - will have to agree to the deal. (Wilson said Hamilton, Burlington and the RBG have all been in discussions about the prospective fix.) 

In February, Burlington officials told The Spectator that city did not own the structure, but later said land title to the bridge was shared with Hamilton after amalgamation. 

Ironically, this wasn't the first time the bridge was the source of jurisdictional debate. 

The current bailey bridge was meant to be a temporary solution when it was installed in 1965 after the original damaged span collapsed into the harbour. 

Even then, responsibility for replacement was disputed by the adjoining municipalities of Burlington, Hamilton and Flamborough.

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Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com