Chatham-Kent council has approved plans to rehabilitate local bridges in need of a makeover.
Bridges in Chatham-Kent on the lineup to be fixed include both of the Maple Leaf Cemetery bridges, Little Bear Creek bridge, and the Fifth St. bridge over Thames River.
General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services Thomas Kelly says heading into the project, safety is the number one priority.
"We're utilizing best practices particularly following the highway bridge design code. We're always looking at new technologies that we could employ, in particular, what is the best and most efficient way to rehab this bridge," says Kelly.
While this will be a costly project for Chatham-Kent, he thinks the long-term investment will be worth it.
"Bridges are vital to transportation throughout Chatham-Kent... this is really a 75-year investment for us," says Kelly.
Though, to cut down costs the organization will be reusing as much concrete as safely possible.
Each of the motions for the bridges were approved 17-0 by councilors at Monday's meeting.
Kelly says restructuring of the bridges will start as early as next month, weather permitting.