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18 Mile Bridge work ten weeks behind Travelers hoping to see an end to using Concession 2 or being detoured through Ripley may have to wait until the end of the month to see Highway 86 open to traffic. On Nov 5, public works superintendent Hugh Nichol told council “the best scenario for opening the bridge is December 1, 2007.” Nichol says there have been a number of problems in the construction process, including the demolition of the old bridge and the forming of the new one. That, along with weather conditions has Nichol concerned that the Dec 1 date may be exceeded. He hopes that the deck can be poured within a week, weather permitting. Once the deck is poured, there is a wait time of 21 days before it can be used for traffic. “Then there’s work to be done on the ramps leading onto the bridge, along with gravel shoulders, etc. It’s all got to safe before opening it up,” he says. At its Oct 1 meeting, Nichol told council that Allen-Hastings Limited requested an extension of road closure until October 31, 2007 and that the delays had resulted in the Side Road 25 culvert replacement not meeting its September deadline. He said that the best scenario for opening of the Side Road would be mid-October.” At that time, Nichol did not recommend to council that any penalty be assessed for not meeting the deadline. The Side Road 25 culvert work has since been completed, however it is of little use, as at this point, the road leads to the closed portion of Highway 86. As for penalties to the company not meeting the deadline, Nichol could not say, as the highway is a county road, not a township road. |
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