Bridge reopening delayed until mid-October
Published Friday August 19th, 2011
Repairs | Rain and lightning being blamed for setting refurbishment back by six weeks
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By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]
The Princess Margaret Bridge won't reopen until mid-October, the city was told Thursday.
The six-week delay is primarily blamed on rain, which is holding up repairs,
Disappointed city officials accepted the news graciously, saying there's little that can be done to fight weather woes.
"I like to think that we're reasonable people here, not only in the room, but the residents of the city ... We want good safe infrastructure. It has been a bad summer in terms of bad weather, particularly rain," said Mayor Brad Woodside after hearing the news at the city's transportation committee meeting Thursday.
"It's a huge project; it's a complex project ... The important think is to have it done right."
The bridge closed May 11 and was slated to reopen Sept. 5.
Contractor SNC Lavalin Inc. is replacing the bridge deck, installing new bridge railings, fixing bearings, refurbishing 22 bridge piers and both bridge abutments under its $77.4-million contract with the province. It's also to sandblast the bridge's structural steel, reinforce any steel weakness and repaint the bridge.
"A week or so ago, it became apparent we were not going to meet our targeted Sept. 5, and it was time to inform the public," said Ken Dean, SNC Lavalin Inc.'s bridge project manager.
Crews have been working 24 hours a day, seven days a week despite the rain, but some jobs, such as pouring concrete, have to be done after a few dry days in a row, he said.
"Eighty-nine days from the start of the project until now have had precipitation, which is very detrimental to our work of sandblasting and priming," Dean said.
Transportation Minister Claude Williams said the contract with SNC Lavalin includes a penalty clause: for every day the bridge is closed after Sept. 5 it must pay $50,000.
Williams said the province's priority is to get the bridge completed before it worries about talking about contract breaches.
"We want to be sure that the work is slated to be done is being done in the way it should be and for the bridge to be reopened as soon as possible. We will deal with that issue (penalties) when we get there," he said.
For Frederictonians, the province will have to ask for more patience.
"Unfortunately, we've got to deal with the delay, but once it's done, for the long term, we'll have a safe bridge so that people can still use it on a daily basis. I'm just asking them to be a little more patient, and hopefully before mid-October, we can open the bridge," the minister said.
If weather co-operates, the bridge may be finished sooner than mid-October, he said.
The province said July had 111 per cent more rainfall than normal. Some of those rainstorms included thunder and lightning. Dean said the company has a no-work policy when there's lightning.
As the weather gets cooler, heavy dew is slowing the start to the work day. For instance, it has to be dry to continue painting work, Dean said.
There have also been a few hiccups.
"In any reconstruction, especially, there are always unexpected things. We've encountered some of those things, but we've overcome them. We brainstorm, we get our designers back at the table and go forward," Dean said.
Krista MacDonald, the province's project manager for the bridge, said the project is on budget and the province won't face any increased costs for the repair.
Although the delay puts the structure out of commission for September's back-to-school crush, MacDonald said the bridge was closed during the Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences, which saw the city's two universities host thousands of delegates in May.
"I suspect it will be slightly worse in September just because people are dealing with new routines. We're hoping for the best," MacDonald said.
The province learned over the last several days the project would be delayed, she said.
"At this point, we're into pouring the barrier wall along the edges of the bridge," Dean said. "We've had a number of days where we couldn't pour because of the rain issue."
MacDonald said you can't get quality repairs or work safely in pouring rain.
"We're really hoping for some dry weather," she said.
The province has notified stakeholders. For instance, school districts 1 and 18 will have a busing schedule similar to one they used in May and June before school ended to try to mitigate traffic problems. Park and go, park and ride and alternative modes of transportation will continue to be promoted by both the city and province.
Transportation committee chairman Bruce Grandy said there are always challenges with a mega-project.
"Our plan is in place. Our plans worked this spring. Our plan worked over the summer. Our plan can work over the fall," Grandy said.
"September is our busiest month for traffic in the City of Fredericton. It will be a challenge no question about it, but we have to appeal to the public to be patient ... Be understanding of where we are. The contractor doesn't want to be there any longer than he has to. He wants to get the job done and do it efficiently and get out of there."
The final completion date for the contract is Dec. 16, and a lot of finishing work will continue after the bridge is reopened. Dean said the work has to be finished this year.
This is the final phase of the $80-million project.
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1433097
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