With the Nelson Street pedestrian bridge having seen better days, it’s slated to be replaced by a new prefabricated structure next year.
The new bridge is scheduled to go up between May and August, and come at a total cost of approximately $3 million, though the final total won’t be known until the tender is awarded early next year.
The bridge has been a topic of discussion for years, and was part of the Elgin Greenway project proposed several years ago.
At the time, it was contemplated to be renovated. Now, it’s facing a complete replacement.
“It’s definitely less expensive in the long term to replace the bridge,” city project manager Stephen Holmes told Sudbury.com.
The existing structure was built in 1980 and is considered part of the Trans-Canada Trail.
In a municipal report, it’s noted to have “many cracks in the concrete deck, areas of severe delamination and disintegration with exposed and corroded structural steel at the mid-span.”
The cost to replace the steel superstructure is approximately the same as rehabilitating it, which is why the city has gone with a new build.
The new structure will be a prefabricated Warren truss structure three metres in width, which is approximately one metre wider than the existing bridge and will allow room for both pedestrian and cyclist use. Built of galvanized steel, the new structure is expected to have a lifespan of 100 years with minor rehabilitation.
The new bridge will be ancillary to the Paris-Notre Dame Bikeway, with pavement markings and signage linking the two rail crossings together with bike lanes.
“That will give people the option of using this bridge if they’re not comfortable crossing the Paris Street bridge,” Holmes said, noting that while the Paris Street bridge will also have bike lanes, the Nelson Street pedestrian bridge won’t have vehicular traffic to contend with.
The tender for the new Nelson Street pedestrian bridge’s construction closes on Dec. 18, and as of Dec. 15 had five plan takers from companies located throughout Greater Sudbury.
Holmes said the city intends to issue a tender by February.
The bridge’s construction will require its full closure for four months, during which pedestrians will be detoured to the Bridge of Nations (Paris Street bridge) approximately 200 metres west.
With various utilities located on the existing structure, temporary outages will be required during construction.
The existing bridge will be removed by crane early in the process, Holmes said, while the new prefabricated bridge is constructed off-site.
“There will be some repairs to the existing foundations for probably two or three months, and then once the bridge fabrication is complete, they will be installing the bridge in a relatively short time,” he said, adding that it’s expected to take a half-day to lift the bridge into place.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
