Today marks the start of months of traffic headaches for motorists in Wallaceburg.
The Lord Selkirk Bridge on McNaughton Avenue will be shut down for the next seven months or so as part of a $5.3 million rehabilitation project.
Chris Thibert, Director of Engineering and Transportation says even though it’s the dead of winter there’s still work that can be done.
“We’re not anticipating any asphalt or concrete work because you typically pay a premium for that in the colder seasons” Thibert says. “A lot of the removals and staging, getting equipment set up, everything set up for when the springtime does come, they can go full force and move forward with construction.”
Thibert says the bridge won’t open or close until May or June, but will be operational for one of the biggest festivals of the year.
“The reason why we have started this project as early as we did, we are working our hardest to have the project complete in time for WAMBO. Our goal is that we will have it open and operational to accommodate WAMBO,” Thibert says.
The bridge was built in the 1950s and sees over 19,000 vehicles every day.
Although the span has been closed for maintenance several times over the last few years and is currently under weight restrictions, but hasn’t undergone a major rehabilitation since 2010.