Schedule to stabilize bridge girders on schedule, city says

The city says it is on schedule in the three-week process to stabilizethe102nd Avenue Bridge, five daysafter four girdersbuckled duringinstallation.

The city was forced on Monday to close Groat Road for the three weeks, leaving trafficgridlocked andcommuters fuming.

"The large support crane needed to stabilize the girders is in place," BarryBelcourt, roads design and construction manager with the city, said in a news release."Now we're conducting a precise review of all the engineering diagrams and comparing them with everything we know about the damaged girders, in order to figure out the safest way to attach the girders to the support crane."

Once the girders are attached to the crane, engineers and project contractors will inspectthe bridge to determine how best to stabilize it so that traffic can start flowing below on Groat Road, he said.

Overall impacts to the budget and schedule for the bridge replacement project remain unknown at this time.

"Once the girders are stable and Groat Road is open, we will assess the girders to determine whether they'll need to be repaired or replaced, which will tell us a lot about the status of the project," Belcourtsaid.