The J.R. Stork bridge in St. Catharines, which was originally built in 1967 and has already been rehabilitated once back in 1992, will be replaced beginning this week, with construction expected to last until the end of the year.
The bridge is located about 1.1 kilometres north of the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW).
Initially, Niagara Region had expected the project to take up to a year to complete, but officials now say that they expect to complete the project in roughly half of the time, to minimize the impact on the local community.
The overall project includes the complete replacement of the existing bridge, as well as the reconstruction of the approaching roadways on either side of the bridge to address unstable embankment slopes adjacent Richardson’s Creek, which the bridge goes over.
Niagara Region completed an analysis of the bridge some seven years ago, which recommended its replacement.
The Region says the project is intended to address traffic flow and capacity demand in the area. Sidewalks will also be widened on the east side, as will the bike lanes.
“Niagara Region is committed to improving the local Regional Road network in order to ensure the safe and efficient travel of people and goods throughout the area, and a project like the replacement of J.R. Stork bridge fulfills that goal,” said Frank Tassone, Director of Transportation.
“While we recognize a project of this size and scale can impact residents, we have a traffic management plan in place to ensure motorists can navigate this area as best as possible as crews work hard to improve and modernize infrastructure for the community,” Tassone added.
As such, Martindale Road will be closed to through traffic from Main Street (Regional Road 87) to South Service Road (Regional Road 40) for the entire construction process, to complete the removal and replacement of the bridge.
As well, Martindale Road from Courtland Street to Dalemere Boulevard will be fully closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic for the entire construction process. Local access to Courtland Street will remain available from South Service Road, while Dalemere Boulevard will be accessed via Main Street.
To facilitate this project, existing hydro poles were relocated permanently and other utilities mounted to the existing bridge structure were relocated temporarily.
The tender process was completed in the spring of this year. Work is expected to be completed by December, weather permitting.
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
