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New security measures – including razor wire – don’t appear to be enough to stop people from trespassing under Saskatoon’s University Bridge.
A recent case of trespassing under the high-traffic bridge has prompted significant concerns from local authorities, with questions being raised about the safety of the structure and the surrounding area.
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The fencing was installed after a fire at a homeless camp caused significant damage under the bridge, melting a sewer line and causing 1.5 million litres of raw sewage to spill into the South Saskatchewan River. The fire on January 19, which forced the city to shut down the bridge for several days, was the third encampment fire to break out under the bridge in the past 19 months.
The fire department said the fencing appeared to be damaged, and a piece of rope was also found. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)
Just after 5 p.m. on Monday, Saskatoon police reported a suspicious person crossing the spans underneath the bridge.
In response, the Saskatoon Fire Department dispatched a team including a rescue boat, rescue trucks, a fire engine and a battalion chief. But when they arrived, no one was found at the scene.
“Some of the razor wire was bent back like someone had used it or put something over it to get over it,” Rob Hogan, the fire department’s deputy chief of operations and emergency communications, told 650 CKOM.
“There were similar signs of tampering on both the east and west sides of the bridge.”
While the fire department did not find anyone under the bridge, a subsequent investigation revealed that the newly installed security barriers, including chain-link fencing and razor wire, had been bent and tampered with.
“There was a piece of rope, and it looked like someone had damaged the fence there as well,” Hogan explained. “We don’t know if the person crossed the bridge on the spans and went out the other side, or if they had left before we got there.”
Authorities are still uncertain whether the damage was caused by an individual attempting to cross underneath the bridge or if the tampering is part of a larger issue.
“There was signs of encampments in there, (but) we don’t know if they were recent encampments or old encampments,” Hogan noted. “It’s just not a safe place to be.”
Hogan also highlighted the dangers involved with climbing underneath the busy span.
“We don’t want people climbing up on the bridge piers because there’s always a chance they could fall into the river or onto the land,” Hogan said. “We’re concerned. We had a discussion last night with the city staff that maintained the bridge, and they were going to be back there to deal with it.”
(Alex Brown/650 CKOM)
The City of Saskatoon acknowledged the challenges in securing the bridge from unauthorized access.
“The University Bridge, a heritage structure built in 1916, has recently experienced an increase in people accessing restricted areas of the bridge,” the city said in a statement.
“The City has conducted a thorough review of access points and is currently evaluating options to further restrict unauthorized public access while ensuring routine structural and utility inspections can continue.”
The city said fencing on some bridge arches was first added in 2015, with additional fencing installed after the most recent fire.
However, officials admitted that even with the updated security measures, preventing access entirely remains a challenge.
“While fences are a deterrent to make it more difficult for people to access restricted spaces, they are not foolproof,” the city noted.
The cost for the fencing was covered by the city’s bridge maintenance budget.
City officials said they are continuing to monitor the situation and are assessing whether further modifications to security measures will be necessary to protect the bridge and keep the public safe.
