Tender call will mean more delays at Placentia bridge

The mayor of Placentia says a tender that is being issued this weekend for repairs to an aging bridge will cause more difficulty for drivers, but will be worth the effort.

Newfoundland and Labradoris issuing a call this weekend for repairs to the Sir Ambrose Shea Lift Bridge in Placentia, which was closed to heavy commercial traffic in this winterbecause of structural concerns. Tenders will be accepted until noon on Friday.

The call will mean that traffic will be reduced to one lane for long periods of time.

Mayor Bill Hogan said residents should be able to cope with the changes.

"Slight headache. Not as big a headache as it would've been in the original scheme of things," Hogan told CBC News.

"There will be a certain amount of inconvenience but the fact that it's open and accessible to emergency traffic upon demand is the thing that brightens the day for us."

The temporary repair work will take about two months and will see the bridge reinforced so it can handle the excess weight.

In a statement, Transportation Minister Tom Hedderson said the repairs "will extend the service life of the bridge, which will allow us to focus on constructing a replacement that will better suit the needs of the community."

The government said any bridge closures will be kept as brief as possible.

Restrictions implemented

In Feburary, the province announced that commercial vehicles weighing more than 13,000 kilograms would be barred from using the bridge. Officials made the move after concerns raised by a structural evaluation.

Last year, the government opted against proceeding with the construction of a replacement bridge, citing the cost.

The only bid was more than $43 million, or nearly double the expected cost.

Short-term fix

The governmentnow plans to spend $1 million on a short-term fixfor the bridge.

The repair work will restore the load capacity of the bridge to 25,000 kilograms for tandem vehicles and 37,000 kilograms for combination vehicles.

The current load restriction of 13,000 kilograms will remain in place while the work is ongoing.

The Department of Transportation and Works has installed a 24-hour video surveillance camera at the bridge to ensure compliance with the edict.