With another bridge rehabilitation facing a delay in Chatham-Kent, the municipality says dated records regularly play a role in whether or not projects will be completed on time.
The municipality announced yesterday that the Kimball Road bridge over Otter Creek near Wallaceburg would be closed for an additional three weeks, due to a delay in the rehabilitation project.
CK Engineering Manager Brendan Falkner said when the municipality rehabilitates a bridge, some components of the structure are replaced, while others that have remaining service life are reused.
Unfortunately, the records of the existing structure are decades-old and lack the required information regarding the bridge’s specifications, Falkner said. Due to the lack of information, crews discovered that bridge’s concrete deck was thicker than anticipated, resulting in the delay.
The municipality has run into similar situations in the past when rehabilitating bridges, such as the rehabilitation of the Lord Selkirk Bridge in Wallaceburg in 2019.
“We just don’t have the records from when the bridges were originally built back in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and we have to make some educated guesses and decisions on how we’re going to approach the rehabs,” said Falkner.
However, Falkner added that the lack of records can also have the opposite effect on construction projects, such as the culvert replacement project on Countryview Line earlier this year.
“That was a bridge project that actually went the other way, where we had some concerns about the soil conditions. But it didn’t end up being as bad as we thought, and we actually got that one open almost two weeks in advance,” said Falkner.
While delays can be a headache for local residents, Falkner said it’s important that all bridge rehabilitations are completed correctly to ensure their lifespans for the next 25 to 50 years.
