Skip to Content (press enter)

Live

What's New

Back to News
Town Receives Infrastructure Funding For Central Bridge

Carleton Place is celebrating the recent announcement by the Honourable Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure of $4,166,500 in combined federal/provincial funding for the replacement of the Town’s Central Bridge under the Rural and Northern funding stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (CIP).  This $30 billion infrastructure funding program, focussing on roads and bridges, air and marine infrastructure, provides funding to municipal governments and indigenous communities with a population less than 100,000 of which there are about 500 in Ontario.

In October 2018, the Town applied for Top-Up funding under the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) and was waiting to hear back on its application.  In March of this year, the Province announced that it would not be proceeding with the OCIF program.  Instead, they indicated that anyone who would have been successful under the OCIF program would be eligible for “fast-tracking” under the new CIP.  Carleton Place was notified that it had been selected to be fast-tracked for its Central Bridge project.

The replacement of the Central Bridge is a multi-faceted project which involves many components requiring synchronization in terms of both work and timing in order to allow the project to proceed.  The components of the project include the following which will be completed over three years commencing in 2019 with design components:

Rehabilitation of Gillies bridge
Installation of a watermain crossing at McArthur Island
Safety improvements for pedestrian access at Mill Street
Utility (natural gas, water and communications) relocations
Replacement of Central Bridge  
Reconstruction of Bell Street
Review of treatment options for storm sewer adjacent to Central Bridge
The total estimated cost for all components, including design, construction, and management of the project during construction is approximately $9 million.  Under the program parameters, however, the Town was limited to applying for an amount not exceeding $5 million. Based on its $5 million application, the Town will be receiving funding as follows:

50% or $2,499,999.95 from the Federal Government;
33% or $1,666,499.97 from the Provincial Government 
16.67% or $833,500.08 from the Town
“The Central Bridge project is the largest and most expensive infrastructure project facing the Town of Carleton Place in the next few years”, noted Mayor Black.  “This funding will assist the Town greatly with the significant cost of the project and we thank all partners who played a role in our success.”

Dave Young, Director of Public Works stated the following upon hearing the news of the grant award, “This is the largest infrastructure grant the Town has received in decades.  The last one of this magnitude was received in the 1990’s when the waste water treatment plant upgrades were completed.”