Updates on 3 bridges
1 currently blocked, 1 to be blocked for 10 weeks, 1 to be built . . . maybe
We live in river country so keeping our bridges safe is an essential and constant job.
This week Northumberland County has closed the Wilson Island bridge on First Line East so that work can be completed replacing the deck. The project was started last fall but not finished.
The road was closed on Monday and is expected to be shut until Friday.
Island residents can access their properties by using the Anderson Island Rd. bridge, heading west on Forsyth Rd. and going north through the Island Park RV Resort.
“The county worked closely with the owner of the park to carefully map out the route,” says Kate Campbell, Director of Communications. “Within the boundaries of the park the speed limit is 10 km an hour – residents are asked to drive according to posted limits, and keep watch for pedestrians.”
The county is also moving ahead with plans to rehabilitate the bridge on Country Road 30 in the hamlet of Trent River this summer. Last week, a council committee backed a $710,000 repair plan that will shut the bridge for 10 weeks later this summer. A final decision will be made by county council at its meeting on June 17.
As I wrote last year, the bridge required repairs because the expansion joints at the north end had deteriorated. Emergency repairs were made and the work was postponed last summer but needs to be done now.
Bids were sought for two options: keeping one lane open while work was done and closing the bridge completely. The winning bid by KB Civil Constructors Inc. of North York showed that a full closure was cheaper and would get the work done quicker. .
“The detour routes would be approximately 20 minutes in length for both the local detour and heavy truck detour,” a report to council said.
The full closing will cost $710,565, 37 per cent less than the $1.1 million for a staged closing. The company said it will take 50 working days to complete the job, while the staged closing option would take 75 days.
“A public information session will be held in the coming weeks in the hamlet of Trent River to provide the public with information on the project and the opportunity to ask any questions,” the report said.
It’s expected construction will start in mid-July, Campbell said.
The third bridge under discussion recently is the proposed new Campbellford crossing that appears to be stalled by a lack of money. Two homes on the east side of the Trent have been demolished and a third is slated to be torn down soon, once rental tenants have moved out.
During the county’s public works committee meeting last week, the committee went into a closed session to discuss a number of private matters including “confidential negotiations (Trent River Crossing).”
I asked Campbell what there is to negotiate at this point, but didn’t get a response. Here’s the last story that I published about the now $57 million project.
You can check updates on current county road operations here.
You can read all Trent Hills News stories on my website here.