Cost for inconvenience

Disraeli bridge construction. I recently sent the letter that follows to the Winnipeg Free Press entitled "Cost for Inconvenience". Essentially, for avoiding the inconvenience of Disraeli closure during construction - it is costing Winnipeg taxpayers $50 million dollars or roughly $3 million monthly. I suggest that not including an overhead on the proposed chief Peguis trail would be more like an 18 year - or lifetime inconvenience.

I am also contemplating sending this letter to our city officials as well as the provincial and federal politicians:

The 50 million dollar decision to prevent Disraeli Bridge Closure.

According to recent newspaper reports in the Winnipeg Free Press and The Herald the premier on behalf of the province and in the presence of dignitaries from the City of Winnipeg announced a specific provincial funding of $50 million dollars to the city to prevent the Disraeli bridge from closure during its repairs. Based on an estimated 18 month period for repairing the bridge that amounts to about 3 million for each month of inconvenience

Reviewing the plans for the Chief Peguis Trail project it would seem that no overheads and/or cloverleafs are planned at any of the 3 main intersections between the bridge and Lagimodiere. Such a significant sum of money could go a long way in at least putting a cloverleaf over Henderson Highway. There might even be a few million left for twinning of Concordia drive from Gateway to Molson and probably with an extension over the railway track to Lagimodiere for southbound traffic- a project the local councillors seem to have totally ignored for years

Maybe there should have been a provincial plebiscite to decide whether the public want to budget such a large sum for such a short period of inconvenience. With the premier exiting from provincial politics such an alternate plan might even leave him with a better legacy.