Repainting of the Fifth Street bridge will have to wait, but structural rehabilitation is set for this summer.

A motion was unanimously passed at Monday's council meeting allowing funds for the purpose of repainting the bridge to be used towards much-needed structural work first.

"The paint work that is on the bridge is still doing a fairly good job considering the bridge is 52 years old," explained director of operational services Kevin Lagan.

"We need to tend to those elements on the bridge that have been identified that need structural repairs."

Lagan said the work will be done during dry summer weather, after the road salt has been washed away from spring rains.

According to Lagan, delamination is occurring on the bridge deck, some rebar is showing through on the sidewalks and the pedestrian handrails need some work. But the biggest part of the job will be to fix deck joints and truss connection areas integral in the expansion and contraction of the bridge in hot and cold weather.

According to a City staff report, these upgrades will only minimally impact the appearance of the bridge.

The work will most likely be done outside of regular work hours or at night to avoid traffic disturbances, as it will effectively shut the bridge down while being conducted, Lagan told the Record.

According to the staff report, about $250,000 will be spent on these upgrades. This will come out of $424,697 previously borrowed under Bylaw 2227 and set aside for repainting.

In 2008, City-hired McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. recommended doing some structural work in 2009, but the City deferred the work until a year after the completion of the Cliffe Avenue Widening Project to minimize traffic disruption of the Fifth Street bridge.

Lagan said repainting can wait until 2019 if need be, and recommends delaying it until the City's updated Master Transportation Study is complete, which is expected at the end of the year.

"Do we need that bridge to be four-lanes wide in the future, with sidewalks, with bicycle lanes, or do we want to continue going with a bridge with just two lanes," said Lagan. "Obviously, impacts of a four-lane bridge would be quite phenomenal on downtown and the approaches on either side of that bridge, so that needs some really good investigation."

Lagan confirmed that the study will include public input.

He also noted that the City applied for government funding for bridge work at the same time as it applied for a grant for the Tsolum River flood works. While it received funding for the flood works, funding for bridge work was denied.

Coun. Jon Ambler compared the bridge to a "much-loved family car," and called the decision "easy."

"We don't have unlimited money so we have to choose; do we give it a new paint job or do we get the breaks and the ball joints done," said Ambler. "Easy debate, we gotta get the breaks and the ball joints done, and we'll get a fancy new paint job on it another day."

Mayor Larry Jangula agreed, but mentioned a desire to move forward with the repainting because it also protects the bridge from things like oxidization.

"I know besides making it look nice, it will also increase the life of the bridge," said Jangula, adding that sprucing up the bridge was a big election issue.

"The community does want to see it painted, but I agree we have to fix this first and then do it."