Rosedale and St. James Town residents will have to wait a bit longer to access the pedestrian-only bridge that connects the community to the rest of the city, as construction has been delayed following an unexpected discovery. 

The Glen Road Pedestrian Bridge, officially known as the Morley Callaghan Footbridge since 1992, connects the neighbourhoods of Rosedale and north St. James Town. 

The 130-year-old bridge has been showing signs of aging for years, requiring a significant rehabilitation in 2001 and emergency repairs in 2015. 

The City began construction on the bridge in March 2022, however, rehabilitation efforts are now being delayed following the discovery of an unexpected obstacle. 

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In an email to local residents and stakeholders, the Glen Road Pedestrian Bridge & Tunnel Project Team updated the community on the construction delays. 

"Due to an unforeseen discovery of a sewer on Rosedale Valley Road, the removal of the Glen Road Pedestrian Bridge will be temporarily delayed," the email reads. "The City and contractor are working towards scheduling a new date for its removal, and a notice will be issued to the community before it takes place." 

As a result, there will be no closure of Rosedale Valley Road from Park Road to Bayview Avenue from Feb. 4-6. The multi-use trail will also remain closed until further notice. 

To date, crews have completed several tasks, including tree removal in the Rosedale Valley, existing timber deck removal, construction of an access path along Bloor Street East, and excavation of the north side of the tunnel. 

To remove the existing bridge and life steel components of the new bridge in place, three planned weekend closures of Rosedale Valley Road will be required between February 2023 and August 2023 for heavy crane operations. 

The project has received its share of criticism from the area's residents, namely for its removal of 127 City trees from the Rosedale Valley Ravine. However, the City plans to plant over 400 new trees and 1000 shrubs in return. 

According to the City's website, the project is anticipated to be completed in late 2023, but with the recent discovery of the sewer, there's no telling how long Rosedale residents will have to wait to access the new bridge.