A busy Wallaceburg bridge is set to be closed for several weeks as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent begins a rehabilitation project on the structure.
According to a media release, the municipality has secured Landform Civil Infrastructures Ltd. to rehabilitate the Murray Street Bridge over the Sydenham River.
Construction will begin on November 7 and it is expected that the project will be completed by the end of April 2023. The project is being completed in two phases.
According to the municipality, Phase One will take place from November 7 to December 19, 2022. During the first phase, the bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic and one sidewalk will remain open for pedestrian use.
Phase Two is planned from December 19 until April 2023. At this point, at least one lane of vehicular traffic in either direction will be maintained and one sidewalk will remain open.
Throughout the duration of the project, the Murray Street Bridge will not be operable for larger boats, however, smaller boats that do not require the bridge to be opened will be accommodated.
There will be two detours in place to direct traffic around the site.
The first detour includes Murray Street, McNaughton Ave, Wellington Street and Margaret Ave. The second detour includes Murray Street, Queen Street, Gillard Street, McNaughton Avenue, James Street, Margaret Avenue and Wellington Street
"Chatham-Kent is committed to working with Landform Civil Infrastructures Ltd. to maintain a safe and orderly worksite," municipal officials said through the media release. "All efforts will be made to reduce the impact on the surrounding areas. Construction sites have many potential hazards and extreme caution should be taken by adhering to the safety requirements and staying outside of the construction zones."
In September, council approved the $1.9 million contract after site inspections identified several conditional and operational issues that needed to be addressed in order to extend the bridge’s life expectancy and maintain public safety.
The project includes removing and replacing the specialized coating on the bridge deck and sidewalk, concrete repairs, repairing mechanical issues, as well as replacing the bridge’s hardware and software.
- With files from Millar Hill
