A bridge on 4th Line here between Sideroad 30 and Wellington Road 22 is closed indefinitely due to structural concerns.
Centre Wellington superintendent of public works Les Davidson explained the bridge, built in 1928, was one of a number of bridges, “we were keeping a close eye on.”
When the 4th Line bridge – officially known as Structure No. 5-E / Speed River Bridge – was inspected on Aug. 22, the report came back from K. Smart Engineering indicating the bridge was failing rapidly to the point of needing to be closed immediately.
“We had to act quickly to get it shut down for safety reasons,” Davidson explained. “The bridge deck itself was failing.”
Davidson explained the township regularly monitors the condition of its bridges, but this one was being monitored more closely because it had shown signs of fatigue.
“The bridge had seemed okay until they looked at it last Thursday,” said Davidson.
He added the structure was showing cracks which were not apparent on previous investigations.
Davidson noted that during the investigation of the bridge, a vehicle travelling across it made the bridge move.
“Obviously there was a concern that a farm implement might fall in. We had to do an emergency closure right there and then.”
Properties on the 4th Line with fire numbers 5997 to 6089 (north side of the bridge) may be accessed from Sideroad 30 and properties with fire numbers 5903 to 5991 (south side of the bridge) may be accessed from Wellington Road 22.
