Broken bridges

Belleville-County connection will be tested by repairs in 2017

It’s 5:30 on a Monday afternoon, rush hour, and an ambulance comes screaming across the Norris-Whitney bridge on Highway 62, making its way past heavy traffic and into Belleville.

It’s a tight squeeze, especially with the railroad bridge construction blocking the road on Belleville’s side of the bridge, but the emergency vehicle, shared between the two municipalities, makes it through. Many workers know the value of the County’s most heavily used entrance. The Norris- Whitney, often referred to as the Bay bridge, is one of only four land crossings into the County. Every day, it is host to the approximately nine per cent of the County’s workforce that commutes from Belleville, and the nearly 30 per cent of County residents who commute to Belleville for work.

It’s also an important thoroughfare for tourists, who often take Highway 62 to make their way into Prince Edward County.

When mayor Robert Quaiff met with Ontario transportation ministry (MTO) engineer Glen Higgins about road projects in the County earlier this month, he learned the ministry would begin to rehabilitate the bridge. That sent him scrambling.

Quaiff and Belleville mayor Taso Christopher have approached the MTO together to ensure both municipalities have a say in the decisions that are made.

“Cars will be running longer, wait times may be longer. The number that go over that bridge—how much delay is it going to be?” says Quaiff. “And how discouraging is it going to be on the people that want to come over into Prince Edward County and visit the wineries, visit our stores? What kind of an impact is that going to have? Are they going to come over, or are they going to say, ‘I’m not going through that construction today.’”

Only a few months earlier, Higgins had visited council to discuss a similar project on the aging Skyway Bridge that sends County Road 49 in the east over to Tyendinaga. Of the five options the ministry is considering, two will see the bridge closed for up to two years.

Closing the Skyway Bridge between the County and Tyendinaga will send traffic, including 18-wheeler trucks from the cement plant and the Picton Terminals, on a very long and expensive detour.

Public meetings held in August established residents’ preference to keep the 50-year-old bridge open, slowing to one lane when construction work required it. The work promises to add years to the life of a bridge that will soon need replacement. Still, the job was estimated to take between two and three years to complete.

The Bay bridge is not quite as old. Built in 1982, it’s less than half-way through its useful life.

“The Norris Whitney Bridge is expected to have a lifespan of 75 years,” says the MTO’s Vanessa Miceli. “All bridges require periodic rehabilitation to ensure that they obtain their full lifespan, and the Norris Whitney is arriving at the point in time where rehabilitation is required.”

Currently, the MTO restricts bridge work to nighttime because of its high traffic. And while the study into its rehabilitation is in the early phases, Miceli says that might change when work commences.

“Public and stakeholder consultation will take place if any single lane closures are expected to occur during the day. Short duration full closures (both lanes) may be required to allow some rehabilitation of the joints and bearings, but the timing has not been established yet.”

The ministry is assessing the both the economic and the environmental impact their projects will have, along with public consultation. Engineers will take that into consideration when planning work. They will also ensure the two projects, along with the current construction on the north end of the Bay bridge, don’t overlap. But the projects will go ahead.

“Exact timing is still being worked out, however we anticipate construction starting on the Highway 49 and Highway 62 bridges within the five-year window,” says Miceli.

The ministry is designing the Bay of Quinte Skyway on Highway 49 and the Norris Whitney Bridge on Highway 62 and are coordinating the work on these bridges to ensure the impacts to traffic are considered.

The ministry is also coordinating with the City of Belleville for the completion of their work on the Canadian Pacific bridge and at the Dundas Street intersection.

The work could coincide with the Parks Canada project to replace the Murray Canal swing bridge leading to Brighton. That project is scheduled to commence in the fall of 2017.

Quaiff hopes the County’s economic development office might be able to develop a marketing campaign that will help to offset those losses from the construction, but it’s still early.

“We’ve got some major work to do. We’ve got to get in touch with the right people and get our answers from there,” says Quaiff. “A firm commitment from the MTO as to what their timeframes are. When is the work going to start, what kind of work is it going to be?