Don't hold your breath if you're planning on taking the Third St. bridge in Chatham anytime soon.
Chatham-Kent officials reported Friday afternoon they received the completed preliminary assessment on the status of the Third Street Bridge, which was closed Friday, Aug. 3 when an inspection raised safety concerns.
While originally estimated at three weeks, Chris Thibert, director of of engineering and transportation, wouldn't make an official comment on when the bridge would be reopened. He said the municipality is speeding up the process to allow construction companies to bid on the repair work.
"We do still have to go out in a fair market to reach out to the local contractors to make sure we get fair representation to utilize the best cost," Thibert said. "We are aware of the approximate timelines but until we carry forward with the tender process and until those come back, we wont be able to make a comment on timing."
Thibert expects to get the tenders out next week and said the municipality won't know until roughly a week later what the contractor interest is and what the timeline will look like.
He added how long construction takes will depend more on the availability of the workers and equipment as he isn't concerned about getting the material in place. He said the major obstacle is work has to be done underneath the bridge and can't be repaired from above.
As for the weight restrictions when it does open, Thibert said it was tough to know exactly what it will be, but expected any vehicles with more than three axles will be prohibited.
Thibert said the bridge was scheduled for major rehabilitation at the end of 2019 or early 2020, so this will be a temporary fix until then.
According to the director the report showed deterioration in portions of the bridge’s sub-structure.
“There were sections where corrosion had caused weakening and our first course of action was to determine to what level the structure was compromised,” Thibert said. “Safety is our priority above all else.”
Thibert added while the corrosion was "significant" it didn't pose any threats of collapsing or to the safety of those driving over it.
Thibert said the municipality appreciates the public's patience as they work on the bridge. He understood how much of an inconvenience it can be for commuters, but said safety was ultimately the highest priority.
He added it was incredibly lucky and quite the coincidence the Fifth St. Bridge was able to open just weeks before they found corrosion on the Third St. structure.
