LONG SAULT – As frustrated South Stormont residents continue to detour around the Avonmore Road (County Road 15) bridge over Highway 401, it begs the question, how much work still needs to be done before it can open?
As Cornwall Newswatch first told you last month, South Stormont Mayor Jim Bancroft revealed the bridge on County Road 15 would not open until the spring.
The reconstruction was supposed to be done by mid-November – then by Christmas – and then the Ministry of Transportation wasn’t giving any timeline to county officials about their provincial contractor.
But in a letter from Cruickshank Construction of Kingston, Ont. to affected residents, obtained by Cornwall Newswatch, there a sizable list of work that still needs to be completed.
The delay was due to “a few unique circumstances and some unforeseen construction challenges,” Project Manager Glenn Rogers wrote.
Here’s what still needs to be completed:
- back-filling around the bridge and installing bridge approach slabs and expansion joints
- concrete curbs, concrete barrier walls and railings on the bridge
- applying a bridge deck waterproofing system and paving the bridge deck
- reconstructing the road that immediately approaches the bridge, including grading and paving
- installation of guide rails and pavement markings
Most of the work is weather dependent.
Cruickshank Construction has been working on the bridge since the spring of 2017.
Because of the problems with this bridge, SD&G county council pulled its support and endorsement for reconstruction of the Post Road bridge (County Road 36) and its previous support for the Wales Drive bridge (County Road 12)