Part of Mackenzie King Bridge in 'advanced state of deterioration'
That's forcing the city to launch another rehabilitation project, over and above ongoing renewal work that has faced repeated delays.
The city is budgeting $5.4 million for the extra work over Nicholas Street, just east of the Rideau Centre, with the project schedule putting the completion date in the summer of 2027.
The existing renewal project covers three sections of the bridge and began in 2022. It includes work on joints, concrete, waterproofing and drainage, as well as narrowing the road to add raised cycle tracks and wider sidewalks.
That work was initially slated to wrap up last year. But the city announced in 2023 that a deteriorated bridge deck and the need for additional concrete repairs would delay completion until the end of this year, a date that was then pushed back to late 2026.
Overpass not included
But that $25-million project did not include the Nicholas Street overpass. Until recently, the city said the overpass was in good condition and did not require structural rehabilitation.
That has proven to be incorrect. Last September, the city retained Parsons and Bridge Check Canada to do a detailed condition assessment on the overpass.
It released the results last week. The assessment found "several components exhibiting significant deterioration requiring rehabilitation in the near future."
Ted Sherwood, an associate professor in structural engineering at Carleton University who specializes in concrete structures, read the Parsons assessment and said the bridge over Nicholas Street seems to be at a tipping point.
"The bridge is not in good condition," he said. "There is a risk of corrosion and continued damage with concrete falling onto pedestrians and traffic below, so I would say now is a good time to do the repairs."
The assessment found cracks on the underside of the bridge deck, as well as the girders and piers that support it. It said the bridge is also suffering from "spalling" and "delamination." Sherwood explained what that means.
"When rebar corrodes inside concrete it expands, and those expansive forces can cause concrete on the surface to fall off and we call those spalls. If it happens over a larger area, we can sometimes call that a delamination," he said. "With the delamination, the rebar can completely separate from the concrete, and that's a very dangerous situation."
Major rehabilitation recommended
Parsons recommended major rehabilitation work on the bridge, and said doing it as part of the existing bridge renewal will reduce both costs and disruption.
Some areas will likely require full removal and replacement, the assessment said. Sherwood called that "a very significant task."
The assessment pegged the cost of the work at more than $3 million. The city's $5.4-million budget includes taxes and a contingency.
The added work is expected to take about seven or eight months. Factoring in design, the city is setting an expected completion date of August 2027. It posted a tender last week seeking a contractor.
Josée Vallée, the city's acting branch manager of municipal design and construction, said that, despite the need for rehabilitation to extend its service life, the bridge remains safe and open to the public.
Sherwood said there is no risk of imminent collapse so long as the bridge is maintained.
The area's city councillor, Stéphanie Plante, called the bridge "crucial for public transportation" and well used by both commuters and residents.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
11 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘A very difficult situation': N.S. Long Lake wildfire nears one-week mark
Brianne Foley speaks with Deputy Warden Dustin Enslow for the latest on the wildfires burning in the West Dalhousie, N.S., area. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual The wildfire in the West Dalhousie, N.S., area continues to burn out of control nearly one week after it began. Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says it is still estimated at 3,210 hectares. 'Crews made good progress yesterday with dozer guards and quick strike by air tanker group via New Brunswick,' the department said in a post on X. Firefighters on the scene include 93 DNR crew members, 22 Ontario firefighters and 49 local one. Air resources include four Northwest Territories planes and one contracted helicopter. Five firefighters from Prince Edward Island have been redeployed to help extinguish the Simonds Lake fire in Digby County, which is now under control. While the Long Lake fire grew over the past few days, the evacuation area has not expanded. Dustin Enslow, deputy warden and councillor for Annapolis County District 3, says the notice is still in place for 107 homes, which affects about 215 people. 'As of right now, everyone has departed. It's just a very difficult situation,' he told CTV Atlantic's Brianne Foley. The first round of evacuations happened Thursday morning for civic addresses #4094 to #5315 on West Dalhousie Road. Another evacuation order was issued that night for the following residents: Dalhousie Road intersection to 484 Morse Road West Dalhousie Road #4530 to #6186 Thorne Road 2648 to 3408 Medicraft Lane 122, 126, 126 (Unit 2) 'We're well now past the 72-hour mark, which opens up another avenue of anxiety for the individuals because what we usually do is tell people to have their 72-hour kit prepared for any type of emergency,' Enslow said. The reception and shelter for the Long Lake wildfire evacuees was moved over the weekend to the Nova Scotia Community College Annapolis Valley Campus in Middleton. Middleton Red Cross A Red Cross sign is pictured outside the Nova Scotia Community College Annapolis Valley Campus in Middleton. (Callum Smith/CTV Atlantic) Enslow said he is seeing a lot of people utilizing the daytime services, like meals. 'We've been very fortunate that we've been having a great working relationship with the Red Cross and Salvation Army, so they've been putting on three meals a day and we've been seeing great turnout for that,' he said. 'For the overnight shelter piece, we've only been seeing a few people utilize it ... so we're looking at changing the hours to better support the individuals that need it.' The municipality's next update with fire officials is expected Tuesday morning. 'Every day at 10:30 we get our first morning briefing and then we get really rolling for the day. We're finding that the morning is a little bit more slower pace than the afternoon, because usually the forest fire calms down a little bit in the evening based on what the weather is, and then it picks up throughout the day as it gets warmer,' Enslow said. He added emotions in the area are 'extremely high.' 'As you can imagine, the people that were evacuated, just the fact that they're not in their normal place and they're not doing their normal routine is stressful enough, so on top of this the worry about what's going on with their house and their property, but overall the emotions are good it seems,' he said. '(DNR) is taking the lead and dealing with the front-line stuff and the municipality is managing all the behind-the-scenes logistical stuff to support the residents of the municipality because at the end of the day it's the residents of the county that are affected by this emergency and we're going to be the ones that have to pick up the pieces and support the people moving forward.' Enslow emphasized anyone who has been evacuated needs to register with the Red Cross. 'There's still quite a few people who have not registered. It's just for us to be able to get updated information to you as well as providing any type of support possible,' he said. There have been no reports of damage to homes at this time, but a few campers and trailers have been lost. Officials believe the wildfire, which began burning last Wednesday, was caused by a lightning strike. Long Lake wildfires smoke Smoke from the Long Lake wildfires complex is pictured billowing into the air in the West Dalhousie area. (Government of Nova Scotia) State of local emergency The wildfire prompted the Municipality of the County of Annapolis to declare a state of local emergency on Saturday. The municipal state of local emergency is in effect for a week, unless renewed or terminated sooner. Residents are asked to follow all official instructions and directives from emergency officials. The declaration also prohibits the inflation of prices for essential goods and services. Residents are being urged to monitor official updates from the Annapolis Regional Emergency Management Organization (REMO) and other official government sources or call 1-833-806-1515 for public information related to the wildfire and evacuation supports. Long Lake smoke Smoke from the Long Lake wildfires complex billows into the air in the West Dalhousie, N.S., area. (Government of Nova Scotia) Air quality statement expands An air quality statement remains in effect for Annapolis County due to the wildfire, which is reducing local air quality. The statement also now includes Queens County. People in the area are encouraged to keep their windows and doors closed. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
11 minutes ago
- CTV News
Fire closes landfill in North Bay
Officials in North Bay say the Merrick Landfill is closed until further notice due to a fire on the tipping face. (File) Officials in North Bay say the Merrick Landfill is closed until further notice Tuesday due to a fire on the tipping face. 'North Bay Fire and Emergency Services is currently on site,' the city said on social media. 'Further updates will be provided as they become available.' Deputy fire chief Greg Saunders said in an email that firefighters from Station 1 responded at 7 a.m. 'The heaviest fire has been extinguished, but crews will remain on site for much of the day working to make sure that the fire is fully extinguished,' Saunders said. 'The landfill is currently closed at this time. We do not know for how long. The cause of the fire has not been determined.' This story will be updated when new information is available.
CBC
42 minutes ago
- CBC
How Alberta cemeteries are adapting to serve both the living and the dead
With rising inflation, limited space and more people opting for cremation, cemeteries around Alberta are adapting to serve the changing needs of their communities. In September, Lacombe will start its cemetery expansion project, adding plots for cremations and full burials, as well as a scattering garden. This process began over a year ago, when the City of Lacombe's cemetery co-ordinator, Maureen Mackenzie, began assessing how much space was currently available. "We always want to be ahead of things because you never know what can happen," Mackenzie said. Lacombe isn't unique in this process. In rural communities across Alberta, cemetery expansion and planning is a process that starts years in advance. While the primary use of cemeteries is to bury the deceased, experts said that cemeteries also provide recreation for the living. Erik Lees is the founding principal of Lees and Associates, an architecture and planning firm that specializes in cemetery development. He said that "wise use of space" is vital in designing cemetery spaces, as they are meant to serve communities in multiple ways. Beyond being interment places, cemeteries preserve family narratives and add green spaces to urban centres, he said. "They are places of passive recreation and contemplation, which in our increasingly densified and urbanized environment is really an important aspect of cemeteries." This is particularly true for community cemeteries — like Fairview Cemetery — because they typically hold fewer burials per acre when compared to private cemeteries. However, as populations continue to grow and urban centres spread outwards, the viability of these cemeteries being able to serve their communities is under threat. Lees said that there is a wariness to use cemeteries for anything other than burials, stemming from a "discomfort with all things death." "There's a crisis in cemetery lands across Canada, across North America, and in fact, many corners of the world," Lees said. Cemetery capacity Lacombe's cemetery has enough land to last the community another 80 years. But every decade or so, they have to prepare the land they have to be ready for use. Other communities like Slave Lake have had to build entirely new cemeteries when their old ones ran out of space. Slave Lake currently has two functioning cemeteries: the town's original Slave Lake Cemetery, and Lakeview Cemetery, opened in 2014. The first internment in the town was recorded in 1956, but, by 2012, there was hardly any space left. "We were down to probably about 10 to 15 spots left," said Ken Caissie, an engineering technologist with the Town of Slave Lake, who oversees and manages the town's cemeteries. Caissie said that the old cemetery's use of space wasn't well-planned. Ground penetrating radar technology was used to see where space existed, and unused plots were repurchased by the cemetery. This bought Slave Lake some time until Lakeview Cemetery was ready for use. The new cemetery has capacity for 700 caskets and thousands of cremated remains, both interred and buried above-ground in columbariums. The Town of Slave Lake conducts 20 burials a year, split evenly between cremations and burials, unlike the rest of Alberta, which has seen an increase in cremations in recent years. Cremation 'delayed the crisis': expert Last year, Edmonton saw 5,397 cremations and 1,852 burials. Mackenzie said that families are opting for cremations due to the lower cost and effective use of space, since families can place urns in existing plots, which "keeps their family together." In Lacombe, up to six urns can be placed in a full burial plot. Lees said that the increasing popularity of cremation has "delayed the crisis" in cemeteries, allowing communities more time and room before their cemeteries reach capacity. "Cremated remains, even when they are interred in the cemetery, consume a fraction of the space that a traditional casket burial will consume." But cremation isn't for everybody. Jeff Rubin is the president of the Edmonton Chevra Kadisha, a volunteer organization which oversees both Jewish cemeteries in Edmonton. Because cremations aren't allowed in the Jewish faith, Chevra Kadisha can only accommodate burials in their cemeteries. The cemetery in south Edmonton is nearly at capacity. But Rubin said that some members had the foresight many years ago to purchase land in the north side of the city. Lees said that there are "creative ways" to approach burials that make the most of the space available. In British Columbia and Quebec, graves are reused after a certain number of years. Stresses on cemeteries increase as populations age As a result of inflation, many cemeteries in Alberta have been forced to raise the prices of their burial plots. In Lacombe, a burial plot costs approximately $900, which is very affordable compared to Edmonton and Calgary, Mackenzie said. To keep their prices low for community members, the price of a plot doubles for those living outside Lacombe County, as do other fees associated with a burial. Slave Lake, like Lacombe, charges much less than larger municipalities — each plot costs $620. However, the cost of building Lakeview Cemetery was so costly, plots in the new cemetery would have to be priced at about $3,000 each, not including other burial costs. With the help of grants, they were able to keep costs low. Even then, with rising inflation, Caissie said they have to adjust their prices each year, putting stress on families going through the grieving process.
