Keeping traffic flowing over urban bridges in Centre Wellington is becoming like a game of dominoes for Wellington County’s roads department.
County council, at the June 30 meeting, approved a roads committee recommendation to direct staff to proceed with the design work to replace the Salem bridge in 2018.
Staff were also directed to add the project to the 2017 budget and five-year capital plan.
Built in 1952, the Salem bridge is a steel pony truss bridge that spans the Irvine River on Wellington Road 18 (Woolwich Street) in the village of Salem. The bridge connects Woolwich Street to Geddes Street and Salem to Elora and is one of three available routes to access downtown Elora, although heavy trucks cannot use the bridge and have to choose an alternate route.
In a staff report, county engineer Gord Ough pointed out it was always intended the Salem bridge would be replaced prior to the Badley bridge (Metcalfe Street bridge) in downtown Elora.
“This would provide a suitable access for trucks in and out of Elora and Salem while the Badley Bridge was being replaced,” Ough explained.
“When it was discovered last year that the timing of the Badley Bridge replacement had to be accelerated it was decided that it would precede the Salem bridge. This was based on timelines that did not include Centre Wellington replacing the St. David Street bridge (Highway 6) in downtown Fergus.”
Since the St. David Street bridge is now scheduled for replacement in 2018 (based on MTO connecting link approved funding), the Badley bridge replacement has been pushed to 2019 “so that both downtowns do not suffer at the same time,” the report states.
“This new timeline will allow for the replacement of the Salem bridge in advance of the Badley bridge and again provide a suitable truck route to service downtown Elora while the Badley bridge is replaced.”
Once the Salem bridge is replaced, the Badley bridge will be closed to all heavy traffic, with the exception of buses, until it is replaced.
