Despite news that competition of the Fifth St. bridge in Chatham is being pushed back six months, a municipal official says construction will likely still carry on during the winter.
The bridge, which was supposed to re-open by December 22, will be closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic until June 2018.
Fifth St. bridge construction in Chatham. November 7, 2017. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent).
Director of Engineering and Transportation Adam Sullo says several factors have contributed to the delay.
"There was some delays with the contractor in the demolition at the start of the construction. It's something that we're discussing with them. We also ran through several small changes, much the same that you would with any bridge rehabilitation. We had some changes in the contract in terms of the retaining wall on the north side and needed some additional repairs beyond what we originally thought, plus dimensions changed," explains Sullo.
Sullo adds that construction will continue during the winter, but the colder weather will put a hold on certain steps.
For example, Sullo explains that above the concrete deck, there is supposed to be asphalt and waterproofing laid down. He says both waterproofing and asphalt can only be placed down when the weather is above a certain degree. Asphalt requires a temperature of above 7 C outside and waterproofing requires a temperature above 9 C for waterproofing, according to Sullo.
He says concrete, however, can still be placed in the winter. He says the construction crew is intending to work through the winter, until it becomes not possible to do so.
According to the municipality, winter weather conditions will force the shutdown construction operations in January, which will restart again once weather conditions allow.
"In the contract, we had allowed for just asphalt to be placed as a protector during the winter for the shutdown. It was going to be a planned shutdown anyways, we were just planning on having the bridge open with just an asphalt surface to protect the deck during the winter. In this case, even if we were going to pour the deck in the winter, there would be no way to protect it from traffic, which is a problem," says Sullo.
Sullo says, "If we put traffic on concrete that's unprotected, we will run the risk of longer-term damage."
He says construction workers are currently working on the poured centre piers and abutments. According to Sullo, the steel girders main supports of structure on the sides of foundation will be installed the first week of December.
Sullo says the rehabilitated bridge will look like a structure in December, but workers need to wait to pour the deck. He says asphalt will likely not be put down until around May, when the weather breaks.
Sullo says Infrastructure and Engineering Services plans to take into account other projects and their impact on traffic during construction. He says the municipality will adjust schedules if needed, so "they don't make it worse than it could be."
He also adds that Chatham-Kent residents should continue supporting local businesses in Downtown Chatham during the construction delays.