Damaged pedestrian bridge in Gabriel Dumont Park won’t reopen until June

A popular pedestrian bridge that connects Saskatchewan Crescent West to Gabriel Dumont Park won’t reopen until at least early June.

On April 11, the Saskatoon Fire Department was called to the area after part of the mostly wooden bridge caught fire.

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

After the flames were put out and an assessment was completed on the bridge, an engineer concluded the fire didn’t significantly affect its structural integrity, but the east end of the bridge needed repair.

The required repairs include replacing about 7.5 metres (24 feet) of floorboards, railings, posts and a wooden centre stringer.

The two-week project was expected to begin on April 30, but it’s now been delayed because the parts needed to fix the bridge aren’t expected to arrive until the end of May.

The city asked the public to continue to avoid the area and to follow signs directing them to use an alternate route until the walkway has reopened.