Portage la Prairie city Council wants AECOM consultants to find savings for the Island Park bridge project. It was recently revealed the three-lane causeway would cost between $9 million and $10 million, up from the initial estimate of $6.5 million. Finance Chair Brent Budz spoke to the issue at this week's Council meeting, requesting administration ask the consultants to seek changes in the design to help reduce the cost of the project. Budz says they've been taking the project very seriously, and while it could add some extra work, they need to continue to focus on getting the best bridge for the tax payer's money.

"We've taken the recreation of the bridge to the island very seriously. We've engaged the public on multiple occasions, invested in engineering and consultants in coming up with the design. The fact remains that cost estimates have increased dramatically."

The increase of around $3 million is related to soil samples taken from the site over the winter. They showed the soil under the potential three-lane causeway was likely to shift, which would quickly compromise the structure's integrity if not factored into the construction. The soil challenges mean not only extra time for the project, but also extra funding. While that cost increase is inevitable, Budz notes they do want to look at their options. One of the possible changes to the design brought up at Monday's meeting was to eliminate the three-arch culverts underneath the causeway, which aimed to allow ice-skaters and boat traffic to travel from one side of the lake to the other.

"This price tag is extensive. We have to take a look at the design we agreed upon and see if there are areas to save. If that includes not having the design we had currently had proposed, then we have to entertain that. There are a lot of places we need to invest in our community, and the bridge is one, but at times, when the costs come in that dramatically higher, we will maybe take a look at some concessions to what we're going to have at the end of the day."

The three-lane causeway was identified as the most cost-effective option when it was first proposed. However, with the increase in costs, it's now at least $1.5 million more than the Tupper Street alignment, and only $5 million below the initial estimates to create a new bridge. However, AECOM noted the estimates on the other options would have likely increased as well, due to the soil.

Overall, Budz says they need to find a balance between function and aesthetics. He says while the causeway is going to be in place for many years to come and needs to be visually appealing, Council also has to decide what makes sense for the city's current citizens.

"Will we have to cut a few things? Quite possibly, but supporting the bridge at its current cost level is not something I could support."