Stadium footbridge idea hits snags
Some bidding weirdness is reported around the dotty idea to install a suspended footbridge on the Olympic tower which has ended up with no valid bids, possibly because the terms are impossible: “Visitors will walk on a metal platform without a guardrail, suspended about 160 meters from the ground. Participants will be held up by an overhead rail with cables and harnesses.”
mare 18:44 on 2021-12-09 Permalink
Why is that impossible? It’ll be an attraction, and people will have to pay for it. And then get fitted in a harness with a security cable and then they can enjoy a very airy walk outside. It exists elsewhere, no idea why nobody bid.
Ah, the impossibility is that a Quebec firm has to bid on it, but that firm also need experience with having made such an installation before. And no Quebec firm has that experience, and they couldn’t just sign a contract with an Ontario firm. Would have been fun if this 160 metre high project was awarded to the lowest bidder though.
(I guess the fact that the Olympic Stadium tower is inclined makes the project a lot more complicated. You can’t just drive a giant crane onto the field.)
Kate 20:15 on 2021-12-09 Permalink
It sounds from the story that they wanted the outfit that did something like it for the CN Tower, but this was ruled not fair. You can’t write a tender that’s so specific that only one known firm can respond.
Jeff 22:53 on 2021-12-09 Permalink
Does anything happen inside the olympic stadium? I lived down the street for a year and couldn’t tell
dhomas 07:21 on 2021-12-10 Permalink
@Jeff: right now, it’s a pretty massive vaccination center. I went to get my kids vaccinated there last weekend.
DavidH 13:55 on 2021-12-10 Permalink
Lots of offices in the tower as well. Desjardins has a few floors.
dhomas 03:52 on 2021-12-11 Permalink
It’s much prettier since Desjardins moved in as they renovated the tower quite extensively.
I couldn’t find any “before and after” you pics, but here’s what it looked like before the renos:
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/54/d9/1f/olympic-tower-olympic.jpg
And here’s how it looks now:
https://cdn.archpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/OlympicTower_Montreal_Exterior.jpg
Those new windows make quite the difference.