Drivers can expect some delays when crossing over the Parry Bridge in Chatham, as maintenance repairs are underway.
The bridge on Keil Drive, between Grand Avenue West and Riverview Drive, will have intermittent lane closures from July 4 until July 18. Chris Thibert, director of engineering and transportation, said work is being done under a warranty from a previous project.
"This project was completed there in 2016, the rehabilitation of the Parry Bridge," said Thibert. "Under the warranty period for this project, we identified there were some concerns still with the final coat of paint and rusting that has been occurring on the bridge ever since it was painted that green colour. The contractor is committed to coming in and addressing the rusting issues."
While the contractor is on-site, recent damage to the bridge will also be addressed.
Damage on Parry Bridge. July 4, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Heather M Hargreaves).
"It came to our attention just [Wednesday] that there's been some damage to the steel grates on the bridge deck itself," said Thibert. "We're not fully aware of what the cause is at this time, it does appear like something got caught while driving across and pulled up some of the steel members."
Thibert said there is no structural damage to the bridge but damage to the deck is something that needs to be addressed to avoid "wear and tear on vehicles".
"It just worked out very well with the contractor coming back on-site with the painting that he's going to be addressing that concern at the same time," he said.
However, unlike the scheduled maintenance work, the recent damage will not be covered under warranty.
"[It will] be covered under a damage claim basically through the contract," said Thibert. "It doesn't fall under the actual warranty of the bridge because it wasn't caused by the contractor, a deficiency of the work but it's just something that the municipality is going to have to address and further investigate."
In regards to this type of damage, Thibert said it's not something commonly seen in Chatham-Kent.
"Based on historical projects, we haven't seen any kind of damage to our steel deck bridges like this ever. I guess you can kind of classify this as a freak accident -- not even knowing exactly what caused it," he said. "We'll make sure that not just what was damaged is going to get addressed but we'll make sure any kind of loose ends or loose members on the bridge deck itself are well tacked down to try and prevent this in the future as well."
Although a full bridge closure will not be in place, drivers are asked to be patient as there may be some delays at times. Repairs to the bridge are not expected to take very long, Thibert reassured.