Construction on the Point Ellice Bridge, more commonly known as the Bay Street Bridge, is set to begin the week of May 13.
The City of Victoria appointed the winning tender, Seismic 2000, to take on the $6.1 million project. The federal and provincial governments are paying $2.4 million, while the rest is coming from the city’s infrastructural funding reserves.
“There’s a few elements to the project,” said Philip Bellefontaine, City of Victoria assistant director, transportation. “We’ll be stripping off old paint from the steel structure, and replacing any areas with rust. That steel will then be repainted. We’re also removing the asphalt pavement and repairing the concrete bridge deck underneath.”
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Anodes will be installed to deter corrosion, and then the road will be repaved.
The project is expected to take five months, with eastbound vehicle traffic closed throughout the duration.
“If you are a pedestrian you will be able to travel in both directions, and cyclists can use the eastbound direction but they will have to get off the bike and walk across,” Bellefontaine said. Waterway traffic will not be affected.
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Alternative traffic routes to access Vic West and Esquimalt will include the continued use of the Johnson Street Bridge, as well as Tillicum and Admirals Roads.
BC Transit services have already been rerouted to avoid the Bay Street corridor, and emergency responders have also been consulted about alternative routes.
Noise should not be a large issue during the project.
“We do acknowledge there’s going to be an impact,” Bellefontaine said. “Part of our approach is to make sure we give the travelling public as much information as possible ahead of time.”
The project is set to be complete at the end of October 2019.