Hog's Back Swing Bridge to remain closed until Aug. 28
Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: February 20, 2020
Repairs to the Hog’s Back Swing Bridge won’t be completed until Aug. 28, says the NCC.
The repairs, which began last August, have stopped vehicle traffic access between Meadowlands Drive and Colonel By Drive. The repairs had been scheduled to be completed by May 1.
According to the original plan, around May 1, Meadowlands would be opened and repairs to the stationary bridge on Hog’s Back Drive would begin. This would force closing Hog’s Back Road, which would be re-opened by the end of this year.
However, as of Thursday, it was unclear if the stationary bridge project will commence as planned or if that project will also be postponed. Repairing both bridges at the same time could block traffic to both Meadowlands and Hog’s Back Road, causing even more headaches for commuters.
“We have heard loud and clear since the day the bridge has closed about the amount of time people have waited in traffic,” said River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington.
Since Meadowlands Drive has been closed, commuters have been forced to use Riverside Drive. There have been extensive backups on Heron Road in the afternoon, he said.
“Heron Road is sometimes backed up past Alta Vista Drive, and they are all going westbound. We never saw traffic this backed up before the bridge was out of commission,” said Brockington.
“The real question is whether the delay of the swing bridge will delay the start of the stationary bridge. The city of Ottawa will have to assess what would happen if they were both out of commission.”
The National Capital Commission (NCC) announced that components of the swing bridge had reached the end of their life cycle last year, and said it was undertaking rehabilitation work to extend the bridge’s service life another 20 to 30 years.
According the NCC, when the swing bridge is open, it carries between 18,000 and 26,000 vehicles a day. The work on the swing bridge is to replace existing steel grating with a closed deck, recoat the structural steel and replace the railings, the bridge control and mechanical components. Pedestrians and cyclists have not been affected.
In a statement, the NCC, which has responsibility for the swing bridge, said although work is progressing well, there have been challenges in the procurement, such as the scarcity of qualified contractors due to the highly specialized nature of the work, as well as construction, such as unforeseen site conditions. The removal and demolition revealed the bridge’s components were in worse state than previously expected.
“The NCC regrets the impact that this extended closure will have on the public and is working with its partners, including Parks Canada and the city of Ottawa, to help mitigate the effects to traffic. Current detours will remain in effect and additional information will be shared with the public as it becomes available.”
A spokesman for Parks Canada, which is responsible for the stationary bridge, said there will be more information about the stationary bridge project on Friday.
All three players — the city, the NCC and Parks Canada — have been invited to a meeting to be held on Tuesday, said Brockington.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/hogs-back-swing-bridge-to-remain-closed-until-aug-28
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