Wheatland County council has approved an increase of $335,000 to its 2023 Operating Budget to complete some extensive repairs to several bridges within the county.
Operations manager Cody Zimmerman presented council with the request during the regular Tuesday, February 7 council meeting and explained inspections of six major bridge files within the county’s jurisdiction showed potential rot on five bridges, requiring significant repairs.
“Annually we complete inspections on a portion of bridge files to make sure everything is safe and up to code, and safe for public use,” Mr. Zimmerman shared during the meeting.
Once the rot was identified, additional inspections were conducted but the results were not received until December 2022 after budget deliberations were held, and repair costs were much higher than originally anticipated.
Mr. Zimmerman noted extensive rot was found on multiple bridge elements. This has resulted in a lower rating of the bridge substructure, which has also impacted remaining estimated lifespan of these structures, and require immediate attention for repair.
All five bridges are located in the northern portion of Wheatland County between Range Road 244 and Range Road 222, south of Highway 9 and north of the Village of Rockyford.
“All of these bridges were in the bridge plan for the next five years for replacement, with a total cost of $2 to $3 million per bridge,” Mr. Zimmerman said.
He added it is not recommended to delay repairs as these structures directly affect transportation and public safety. It is estimated the lifespan of these bridges could be extended between nine and 15 years, which would delay the need to replace these structures, if repairs are completed immediately.
Wheatland County council had previously approved a total of $260,000 for engineering and contracted services within its 2023 operating budget for bridge maintenance and repairs. However, with the additional files added the cost of repairs is estimated to be some $330,000 above this previously allocated amount. This includes an approximate additional $33,000 for engineering costs and some $298,000 in contracted services.
Council unanimously approved the increase of $335,000 to complete repairs of these bridge files; this work will be tendered for completion later in the year.

A Drumheller man facing multiple drug related charges appeared in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, February 10.
Jeffery Morse, 41, maintained a not guilty plea to the charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking; however, he entered a guilty plea to the lesser offense of simple possession.
The court heard a Drumheller RCMP officer was conducting patrols in an unmarked vehicle on January 6, 2021.
There was an ongoing investigation following a Crime Stoppers tip which alleged Mr. Morse and another individual were selling drugs out of a residence in the 500 block of 3 Avenue West in Drumheller.
During surveillance on January 6, the officer noticed multiple people attending the residence, some with known involvement in the “drug subculture.” Some of these visits were very brief in duration, and most of these took place in the back alley.
An informed opinion based on these observations was determined by the officer that drug trafficking was occurring and a search warrant was obtained.
Upon execution of the search warrant, a number of narcotics, which included suspected cocaine and methamphetamine, were found along with digital scales, drug packaging materials, and proceeds of crime. Approximately 14 grams of a substance was seized, which later tested positive for methamphetamine.
Defense argued Mr. Morse has struggled with addiction for the past several years, and the methamphetamine found was not for the purpose of trafficking but was instead personal possession.
The plea to the lesser offense was accepted, along with a guilty plea to one count of breach of condition which occurred in December 2022 after Mr. Morse was observed attending a residence in Drumheller he was conditionally prohibited from.
Crown and defense submitted a global disposition of 30 days for the simple possession, and 30 days concurrent for the breach of condition; Mr. Morse was given credit for 20 days of pre-trial custody. Remaining charges were withdrawn for this case.