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Athabasca County celebrates early completion of Colinton Bridge

'More than concrete and steel, it's a symbol of persistence': Reeve Tracy Holland and council glad to see bridgework completed ahead of schedule and under budget
colinton-bridge-cutting
(L-R) Councillors Rob Minns, Kelly Chamzuk, Joe Gerlach, Reeve Tracy Holland, Natasha Kapitaniuk, Brian Hall, and Ashtin Anderson pose for the offical ribbon cutting ceremony for the Colinton Bridge June 17. (Photo submitted by Athabasca County.)

ATHABASCA – The Colinton Bridge is back in business and Athabasca County officials couldn’t be happier.

In the official ribbon cutting ceremony, held after the June 17 committee of the whole meeting, seven councillors posed with a ribbon on the bridge to signify the completion of a journey that took over three years to complete.

“It took longer than any of us wanted, and the road here wasn’t always smooth – but today we finally get to celebrate,” said Athabasca County Reeve Tracy Holland.

“This awesome new bridge structure is more than concrete and steel; it’s a symbol of persistence and a commitment to the future of our community.”

Coun. Natasha Kapitaniuk of Division 2, which includes the hamlet of Colinton, said she was thankful for the community’s patience as the county worked to secure the funding for the bridge before ultimately building it with funds from council reserves.

“The patience of our community has been greatly appreciated and being able to open the Colinton Bridge ahead of schedule is a win for all,” said Kapitaniuk.

The project was expected to be finished in mid-October 2025 with work starting April 1, but the bridge was built and cars were driving across it the week of May 5, five months ahead of schedule.

A total of $2.1 million was budgeted for the construction, but only $1.74 million was spent on the project.

A brief history

The old Colinton Bridge was closed in June 2022 after it had deteriorated to an unsafe state, leaving the hamlet without a direct connection to the town of Athabasca. Instead of driving on Range Road 222A, locals were forced to head south to hit Highway 2 before turning north.

Athabasca County applied for multiple Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program (STIP) grants, but were unsuccessful for the Colinton project, with other county bridges receiving funding. Because of a quirk of the grant — funds from the province can’t be used for work that was already completed — councillors wanted to wait for STIP funding first, but eventually realized that wasn’t going to work.

“I don’t think anyone regrets trying, and I don’t think I personally would make that choice different in the future. Each (bridge file) is different, and the province will always have a different amount of money they can give out,” said Kapitaniuk in an April interview.

In September 2023 councillors approved the removal of the old bridge, which was budgeted to cost $650,000. In August 2024, councillors approved the funds for the engineering of the new bridge, and construction started on the new bridge April 1 of this year.

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