The public got a glimpse of what a new Forks Road Bridge will look like and found out more about the process to build it, during an online information session Thursday night.
The previous span stood for 88 years but was demolished in 2019 after being declared unsafe for vehicle and pedestrian traffic in 2018. Some 3,500 vehicles a day crossed the one-time lift bridge over the former Welland Canal, now the recreational canal.
City staff and representatives from Upper Canada Consultants and WSP Canada Inc. provided a virtual overview of the project Thursday and about 30 people participated, the city said Friday.
Work is expected to begin in early 2022 with a targeted completion date of 2024.
There will be a reconstruction of Forks Road completed in two phases — the east limit to just west of Crescent Drive first, and then from Crescent Drive to the intersection at Kingsway.
The new bridge will have a 75-year lifespan, presentation participants were told, and it will be a single span 68.5 metres long and 14.45 metres wide.
One resident asked if the new roadway will be “destroyed” during construction of the Dain East subdivision, one of two major developments planned for the area by Empire Communities, which is also pitching in for a large portion of the bridge’s potential $18-million price tag.
The new road will “hold up nicely to the anticipated construction traffic related to the new development,” said Welland’s director of infrastructure services Sherri-Marie Millar, adding the final lift of asphalt will be added after heavy construction is complete.
The project will include a new intersection design, with traffic signals and a turning lane for motorists turning left onto Kingsway from the bridge.
The electrical work will be installed during construction and lights will be erected in the future.
The need for signalization is based on the amount of traffic, which will increase with development in the area, the city said.
It expects the signals will be “up no later than 2027,” said Millar, and the original piers will be restored and used as part of the new bridge.
Asked by one viewer whether a shorter span was considered, Kyle Yusek, project manager from WSP Canada Inc., said it was but that is not the chosen direction.
“In the end, the most cost-effective solution we determined was to use the existing piers,” said Yusek, adding that approach will eliminate “additional in-water works” and reduce “foundation issues.”
Adam Keane, engineering manager for Upper Canada Consultants, fielded a question about how the project will impact flooding issues in Dain City.
He said the installation of a new stormwater system, part of the build, will have a positive impact.
“Stormwater drainage should be significantly improved,” he said.
The city will contribute $5 million, with more than $4.1 million coming from a successful funding application made through the federal and provincial governments.
The remaining cost will be covered by Empire Communities after the developer made a commitment of at least $10 million last year to replace the bridge.
Other issues discussed during the presentation related to wildlife migration and fish habitats.
In-water construction around the piers will be completed in a way to “ensure no aquatic species are trapped,” according to the virtual presentation. This will be “accomplished through a fish rescue plan and supervision by ecologists during construction.”
There will be “limited vegetation clearing” completed outside the seasonal breeding window for birds, between April 1 and Aug. 31.
The location of the bridge “doesn’t represent a significant migratory corridor” and birds will be able to pass under the bridge, according to the presentation.
Further questions about the project can be sent to eng@welland.ca.
