Work begins today on two Trans-Canada bridges that cross Box Springs Road, however traffic delays are expected to be minor.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
Bridge repair work to strengthen two bridges along the Trans-Canada Highway that cross over Box Springs Road begins today.
Officials at Volker Stevin say they will be using part of the shoulder on both directions of the road to conduct repairs on the steel grinders under the bridge, leaving a full lane for traffic to flow.
“So there’s still a full lane width they’re going through and there won’t be any real impact to the traffic,” says Lorenz Bohnert, bridge manager at Volker Stevin. “Then we’ll just be delineate the lighting slightly different than what’s painted, but there’ll be full lane width. It’ll be both directions eventually. But we’re only working on one side at a time.”
Bohnert expects traffic will be slowed down by about 10 km/h but says there won’t be any stoppages to traffic due to repairs. Workers will also clear the road each night when they leave.
“It be just be through traffic and just through along the edge of a construction zone, that’s all.”
The work is part of Alberta Transportations’s ongoing bridge rehab and should be complete by the beginning of May.
Crews will be strengthening areas underneath the bridge on its strutting along the underside of the top deck of the bridge.
Similar work is planned for two bridges that cross over Saamis Drive that will begin June 1 and is expected to finish by July 15.
Bohnert told the News those bridge repairs will have workers narrow a half lane with the existing shoulder lanes to work, allowing traffic to flow unimpeded.
“I can’t anticipate that we’ll be backing things up there at all, I’d be surprised if we do,” adds Bohnert.
