A crane was on site today, Thursday, March 21, 2024, to remove the North span of the LO Stonehouse walking bridge in Wallaceburg.
A resident on Wallace Street shared the photo above with the Sydenham Current, while Wallaceburg resident Brian Armitage shared the following photographs, below:
Municipal officials say recent updates to the project, include: the winch house being removed, the South span being removed, temporary navigational lights installed and ongoing concrete repairs.
As previously reported, Municipality of Chatham-Kent officials said completion for the project is planned for mid-July of this year.
The Sydenham River is expected to remain open and passable at all times during construction, Municipal officials said in a media release issued on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
The contractor is coordinating their work to maintain a navigational opening through the construction area at all times during the Navigation Season, which begins on May 15, and in accordance with the approvals through Transport Canada, Municipal officials added.
The contractor mobilized on January 8, 2024 to begin site preparation and was set to be working through the removal of the remaining spans of the existing bridge.
Municipal officials said in February while there was less work happening on site at the time, there was lots of work happening in the background, as work continued on shop drawings and fabrication of materials off-site in preparation for installations, which are planned to begin in May.
Work is planned to be completed ahead of WAMBO this summer, Municipal officials added.
The bridge construction also includes the installation of coloured lighting, similar to the lighting installed on Third Street bridge in Chatham.
Installation of the lighting will begin as part of the bridge work in the spring, however there are several steps to commissioning the lighting system, meaning this work will continue through the summer with a target activation of the lights in early Fall, Municipal officials added.
“The LO Stonehouse Walking Bridge in the Community of Wallaceburg serves as one of the main pedestrian crossings over the Sydenham River,” stated Marissa Mascaro, Director, Engineering, in a media release.
“Our project team is working hard to get this important project completed and we look forward to the community’s excitement when the pedestrian bridge reopens.”
For updates on this and all other projects in Chatham-Kent, visit www.chatham-kent.ca/constructionprojects.
