Traffic will be flowing a little easier through Chatham’s downtown area thanks to the Third Street Bridge reopening on Friday, earlier than expected.
A media release was issued by the municipality late in the afternoon announcing that the bridge would be open to all lanes of traffic and pedestrians by the end of the day.
“We’re very happy they were able to move quickly with the repairs,” Chris Thibert, Chatham-Kent’s director of engineering and transportation said of the work done by contractor Front Construction from the Windsor area.
In fact, the work was done a week ahead of schedule on the bridge, which was constructed in 1961.
Thibert said all the materials came in on time allowing the contractor to work very efficiently to make the necessary repairs to the steel support structure underneath the bridge deck.
Municipal officials opted to err on the side of caution and close the bridge on Aug. 3 after a detailed inspection of the structure revealed deterioration to some cross-beams.
The closure came barely a month after the Fifth Street Bridge reopened in Chatham’s downtown after a year-long $7.5 million rehabilitation. This was six months longer than originally planned due to delays with demolition and minor design changes.
In the mean, time the Third Street Bridge will have a limit of 10 tonnes posted.
“Everyday, residential vehicular traffic is definitely not an issue,” Thibert said of the posted limit.
“That load posting will remain in place right up until we move forward with the total rehabilitation of that bridge, which is still anticipated for 2020,” he said.
“We’re not anticipating have anymore impact to that bridge right up to that point (it is rehabilitated),” he added.
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