Crews will begin working on Wallaceburg’s Baseline Bridge first thing Monday morning.
Director of Engineering Chris Thibert says the $2.1 million project includes structural and mechanical components, and will be done in two phases.
“The Baseline Bridge will be closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic until approximately January 15th, 2021, that’s the anticipated completion date for all the structural and mechanical rehabilitation work,” Thibert says. “After that date, it will be opened back up again until the spring when the asphalt plants open back up so we can proceed with the asphalt work on the bridge.”
The asphalt work in the spring is only expected to take a few days to a week to complete.
Officials are hopeful that this project won’t include the same issues that plagued the Lord Selkirk Bridge.
“The fact that we’re working on structural and mechanical components of the bridge and nothing to do with too much weather or temperature-dependent type work, we’re very confident that mid-January timeline did provide some form of buffer,
If we do get some very serious winter weather or early-winter weather that we can’t account for, there will be a slight push-back but we’re very hopeful that mid-January completion date will be achievable.”
The bridge will remain a moveable structure for the next week, but Thibert says as of the evening of October 25th, it will be kept in the closed position for the duration of the project, meaning larger marine vessels will not be able to pass.
The municipal construction projects website will be updated weekly to keep residents up to speed on how the project is coming along.
