Traffic nightmare looms for users for Macdonald-Cartier Bridge
Public Works posts tender for extensive refit of 50-year-old span
By David Reevely and don butler, OTTAWA CITIZEN January 7, 2014
Commuters and truckers who use the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge should brace themselves for two years of traffic chaos.
The steel box girder bridge, built between 1964 and 1966, is about to undergo the most extensive refit in its history to replace worn-out parts and give it upgrades to better resist earthquakes, according to a tender posted by the Department of Public Works.
The 618-metre-long bridge that connects King Edward Avenue to Hwy. 5 in Quebec is a major transportation link between Ottawa and Gatineau, with average annual daily traffic of 70,000 vehicles. It’s also the main route for interprovincial trucking, handling more than 2,000 heavy trucks a day.
In the tender document, Public Works says the chosen contractor must do the work in a specific sequence to minimize its impact on the free flow of traffic. The department may reject work plans that “unduly penalize users when other solutions are available,” it says.
Still, it’s clear the project will be a royal pain for those who rely on the bridge. Work is scheduled to begin this spring and won’t be completed until the spring of 2016.
While complete bridge closures are not anticipated, “lane reductions will be required,” Public Works said in an email Tuesday. At times, the six-lane bridge will be down to a single lane in each direction, according to the tender document.
There will also be several short-term closures of exit and access ramps and the speed limit on the bridge will be reduced to 50 kilometres an hour for the duration of the work.
To minimize the impact of the work on bridge users, Public Works will issue notices informing the public in advance when lane closures are required.
Further complicating matters for motorists, the bridge work is to be done in conjunction with a city-run project to renovate a section of Sussex Drive from St. Patrick Street to King Edward Avenue.
That work, which includes the rehabilitation of the Sussex Drive Bridge over the Rideau River, won’t be finished until the end of this year.
The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge rehabilitation, valued at more than $5 million, is for a “seismic retrofit of the bridge and the rehabilitation of deteriorating components, specifically the deck, sidewalks, lighting system, barriers, concrete surfaces of pillars and abutments,” the tender documents say.
A description of the project on the Public Works website adds further details. Among other things, the project will widen the roadway in both directions, add a wider multi-use sidewalk for pedestrian and cyclist use, replace existing railings and install a new median.
The tender document specifies that the contractor has to hire a “quality verification engineer,” a professional technical consultant qualified to work in both Ontario and Quebec, whose job is to provide expert monitoring of the construction work.
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