The Fifth Street Bridge is now closed, and will remain shut down to vehicular traffic for a month.
Municipal officials closed the easternmost bridge over the Thames River in downtown Chatham on Monday to help expedite work along the bridge, and to help prevent more vandalism.
Municipal engineering officials say the culprit(s) sliced electrical wires feeding streetlights along the bridge deck, and they damaged lighting and ductwork under the bridge along Simcoe Lane, doing about $10,000 damage earlier this month.
Chris Thibert, director of engineering and transportation for the municipality, said the closure of the bridge until May 13 is all about safety.
“It’s not just because of the vandalism, but also public safety and workplace safety,” he said. “And it’s in an effort to expedite the work.”
He said by closing the bridge and shifting where materials are stored should help prevent any further vandalism or theft.
Closing the bridge also helps expedite the work being done, Thibert said, as the plan is to have everything completed in advance of the summer events in downtown Chatham.
“There is a lot of activity happening around this bridge. The only way the contractor can feel safe to finish the remainder of the work and avoid the volume of vehicles and pedestrian traffic is to have this closure,” he said.
Thibert added that one sidewalk on the bridge will remain open for pedestrian traffic throughout the period of closure.
Municipal buses will reroute around the closure.
