Walking bridge in Gabriel Dumont Park to undergo repairs after fire

Repairs on a pedestrian bridge in Gabriel Dumont Park are set to begin next week.

The bridge was damaged by a fire earlier this month.

“On April 11, the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in Gabriel Dumont Park and found the walkway structure in flames,” the City of Saskatoon explained in a statement.

“The crew put the fire out and turned the scene over to the City’s Facilities Department, after which time it was reviewed by a bridge engineer.”

The assessment found that the fire was concentrated on the east end of the bridge and didn’t cause major structural damage.

“Fortunately, the fire did not significantly affect the structural capacity of the bridge and the assessment concluded the walkway bridge does not need to be replaced,” the city added.

While the cause of the fire is unknown, the Saskatoon Fire Department said there appeared to be an encampment in the area.

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“Upon investigation, the fire investigator concluded the cause of the fire to be undetermined,” the fire department said in a release. “Signs of an abandoned encampment were present in the immediate area.”

A contractor is expected to begin repair work on Tuesday. The work will involve replacing about 7.5 metres of floorboards, railings and posts, and the wooden centre stringer.

The job is expected to take around two weeks, and the bridge’s railings will also be repainted after the repair work is complete.

The city asked pedestrians to avoid the area while the repair work is underway, and said signs will direct pedestrians to an alternate route.

According to the fire department, there were signs of an encampment in the area where the fire broke out. (Taylor MacPherson/650 CKOM)