A plan to repair Blackfriars Bridge could see the bridge taken down in section and repaired indoors.
City staff and consultants are recommending the city apply for a heritage alteration permit in order to return the bridge, as much as possible, to its original design. That would require the removal of the some of additions to the bridge that were made in the 1950s as well as replacement of the deck and vehicle guards that were installed in the 1980s.
The plan would also see the bridge removed from its supports in sections. Those sections would then be fixed off-site before being put back into place on-site.
“Removing the bridge and performing its restoration off site has many benefits,” says Kelly Scherr, managing director of environmental and engineering services and city engineer. “Not only can work continue indoors through the winter months in a controlled environment allowing for increased quality of work, there will also be reduced worker/public safety concerns.”
The recommendation will be presented to the London Advisory Committee on Heritage at its meeting next week. It's expected the bridge will be moved in the fall.
Blackfriars Bridge, dubbed one of the oldest in Canada, was built in 1875. Its bowstring arch design made of wrought iron was considered creative and innovative at the time.
