WELLINGTON NORTH 鈥� Drivers on 色控传媒Road 109 east of Arthur should expect delays this summer.听
And next summer, and the one after that.
Starting this spring, the county is undertaking a multi-year, multi-million-dollar road construction project to replace four aging bridges on a busy stretch of road that was once a provincial highway.
鈥淭hey became the responsibility of the county when Highway 9 was downloaded to the county in 1998,鈥� said county roads department manager Joe de Koning.
The four bridges, all located on 色控传媒Road 109 east of the Highway 6 intersection, were built in the 1930s, and 鈥渢hey鈥檙e deteriorating quickly,鈥� de Koning said.
With rehabilitation work over the years, the structures have managed to last more than 90 years but, though engineers have not condemned the bridges yet, they are not expected to last much longer.
鈥淭here鈥檚 an expiration date and we鈥檙e at it,鈥� said de Koning. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we started the environmental assessment (EA) a few years ago.鈥�
With the required EA study complete, the county is ready to put the project out to tender in the coming weeks, in anticipation of starting work on the first bridge this spring.
The county roads committee received a presentation on the overall project at its January meeting, and 色控传媒North Mayor Andy Lennox requested county staff attend a meeting of 色控传媒North council to share the same details with the member municipality.听
The presentation was on the agenda for the Feb. 10 council meeting.
This image from a county staff presentation shows the view looking west over the first of four bridges that will be replaced on 色控传媒Road 109 east of Arthur starting in the spring.
All four of the bridges being replaced are in 色控传媒North Township, and all four span the Conestogo River at different points along the road.
The plan is to keep the road open throughout the duration of the project, de Koning said.
鈥淭he cheapest way to get this done is to close the road,鈥� but from an economic development standpoint, that鈥檚 not really a feasible option, he said.
Instead, for all but one of the bridges, two-way traffic will be maintained via a single lane controlled with temporary traffic signal lights.
The exception to this is the bridge closest to Highway 6 where, due to the proximity to the intersection, two-way traffic will need to be maintained to avoid impacting traffic at the intersection, de Koning said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a design there that allows us to use a Bailey bridge,鈥� he said, explaining the bridge is a temporary structure that will be rented and听installed adjacent to the bridge that is being replaced. Traffic will bypass the work zone via the Bailey bridge until the new permanent structure is complete, then the temporary bridge will be removed.
But, while de Koning referred to this bridge furthest west as 鈥渂ridge one,鈥� construction is actually expected to start on 鈥渂ridge two,鈥� the next one east along the road.
According to the presentation to council, stage one of the project will see traffic maintained on the existing bridge, while a portion of the new bridge is built adjacent.
Once half the width of the bridge is built, traffic will use that side, while the other half is constructed, said de Koning.
The overall roadway is not being widened, but the proposal is to construct bridges that are wider 鈥� roughly five metres wider for two of the bridges, and about two metres wider for the other two.
An illustration included in the presentation shows the 鈥渕aximum queue length鈥� that can be expected as eastbound and westbound traffic take turns travelling through the construction zone.
听On the west side of the bridge, that length is expected to reach a maximum of 163 metres, and it could be as much as 190 metres on the east side.
The estimates are the same for the other two bridges.
While detours are not necessary because the road will not be closed, there will be detour signs suggesting alternate truck routing for heavy trucks.听
That alternate route includes 色控传媒Road 14, Highway 89 and 色控传媒Road 16.
The entire project, which will be done over the next three to four years, is expected to cost over $22 million.
鈥淭here鈥檚 contingency built into that,鈥� said de Koning.
There is funding from other levels of government to cover some of the costs.
De Koning said the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program will cover $4.16 million, and the Canada Community-Building Fund (formerly gas tax) will cover $1.5 million. The Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund is providing $3.98 million, he said.
鈥淭he balance is coming from roads reserves,鈥� he said.
The cost of the project is part of the reason for grouping the bridge replacements together into one.
鈥淏y tendering four bridges together at once, we鈥檙e hoping to get some sort of economy of scale,鈥� de Koning said.
