Changes to Provincial Bridge and Culvert Classification

The Municipal District of Bonnyville (MD) is situated in Northeast Alberta, with a population of approximately 12,900 residents. The region hosts the second largest oil sands deposits in Alberta, contributing significantly to its economic landscape. It is also home to the 4 Wing Cold Lake military base and encompasses the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range, further enhancing its strategic significance. In addition to its economic and strategic value, the M.D. boasts a robust recreational base, featuring numerous beautiful lakes and campgrounds that attract visitors and support local tourism.  

The MD is currently facing significant challenges concerning the renewal of its bridge infrastructure, as numerous bridges are nearing the end of their life cycles. This situation poses a critical challenge in ensuring the sustainability of our infrastructure in a manner that remains financially manageable for our constituents. We are projecting replacement costs to reach tens of millions of dollars in the next decade.  

By treating existing non-conforming culverts as separate bridge assets, their replacement in Alberta triggers design upgrade requirements that are very costly, engineering intensive, and often require extensive road reconstruction work to accommodate. It is not uncommon that a culvert that would normally cost our internal maintenance crews $75,000 for replacement “as-built” to cost $300,000 to $400,000 once the required engineering and upgrade costs of a bridge replacement are considered. It is also very common that the road itself needs to be humped over the upgraded culvert to accommodate its new geometry, with engineers speculating on the future design of a road upgrade not yet being considered (culverts are designed for a 50-year service life).  

These required upgrading costs are not sustainable and are putting Alberta’s municipalities at risk. The MD has a population of over 12,000 and is currently responsible for inspecting and maintaining 120 local road bridge structures, many of which are approaching the end of their lifecycles. These structures are heavily used by industry, and the MD is being forced to consider closing roads due to the significant costs associated with the required bridge culvert upgrades.    

Attached is a letter and comparative bridge definitions from Building Information Modeling and OSIM manuals that was sent to the Honourable Minister Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors on December 22, 2025. 

By treating existing non-conforming culverts as separate bridge assets, their replacement in Alberta triggers design upgrade requirements that are very costly, engineering intensive, and often require extensive road reconstruction work to accommodate. It is not uncommon that a culvert that would normally cost our internal maintenance crews $75,000 for replacement “as-built” to cost $300,000 to $400,000 once the required engineering and upgrade costs of a bridge replacement are considered. It is also very common that the road itself needs to be humped over the upgraded culvert to accommodate its new geometry, with engineers speculating on the future design of a road upgrade not being considered yet (culverts are designed for a 50-year service life). 

These required costs of upgrade are not sustainable and are putting Albertas municipalities at risk. The M.D. has a population of over 12,000 and is currently responsible for inspecting and maintaining 120 local road bridge structures, many of which are approaching the end of their lifecycles. These structures are heavily used by industry, and the M.D. is being forced to consider closing roads due to the significant costs associated with the required bridge culvert upgrades.   

Attached is a letter and comparative bridge definitions from BIM and OSIM manuals that was sent to the Honourable Minister Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors on December 22, 2025.