Construction will finally begin on the Fifth Street Bridge in Chatham on July 4.
Initially, the project was to begin shortly after RetroFest. It was then slated to start June 29, but the date was pushed back and the contractor could accommodate.
Adam Sullo, director of engineering for the municipality, said the start date for the $7.45-million project got pushed back, but he said he believes it will be completed by Dec. 22, the last day the project can be finished before winter forces a halt to construction.
“Right now, the contractor is confident they can meet that date. I’m confident they’ll hit their dates. There are fairly significant penalties,” he said.
The main concern with the bridgework is waterproofing the concrete before the temperature dips too low.
“On top of concrete, we’ll put waterproofing. It needs to be installed above a certain temperature,” he said. “And you shouldn’t put asphalt down when the snow is flying.”
Sullo said the worst-case scenario would see the use of a “sacrificial layer” of asphalt – paving put down on top of the concrete just for the winter and then scraped off in the spring so the concrete could then be properly waterproofed before a permanent layer of asphalt goes down.
The construction, which will involve tearing down the bridge to the waterline, will cause some disruption to traffic flow into and out of the downtown. The Third Street Bridge will take up much of the extra flow, being the next closest bridge to cross the Thames River.
Sullo said removal of the current bridge will be a challenge, and there will be a barge in the river to assist, and a heavy crane on shore.
“Demolishing the bridge, we have to be careful to not remove components that would cause the failure of another component,” he said. “We don’t want to drop something that shouldn’t drop.”
One area of concern during construction is parking. The lot on Thames Street near the Fifth Street Bridge is of particular interest.
“That parking lot on the north side. We’re working with business owners to help with parking arrangements for construction,” Sullo said. “A lot of people who park there walk across the Fifth Street Bridge to their places of work.”
While the bridge is anticipated to be open in December, the project will continue into next year, as the work will involve improvements to the intersection of King and Fifth streets, as well as upgrading major Bell communication lines.
Sullo encourages people to keep track of the project by visiting www.chatham-kent.ca/2017construction. He said staff updates the website each Friday to keep people up to date on the progress of various projects around the municipality.
