12 October 2007
A Bridge Too Old
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The 103-year-old wooden Sarnia Road bridge is
closed after a truck ran into it. The repairs are expected to take weeks.
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London Ontario - The abrupt closing for repairs of a
103-year-old, single-lane London bridge has renewed calls it be replaced.
Commuters in the city's northwest were scrambling to find new routes after the Sarnia Road bridge was damaged by a
tractor-trailer truck early Tuesday, leaving the aging span closed for repairs.
Thousands of vehicles use the bridge each day, in an area exploding with new residential and commercial growth.
Because there's no other way in that area across the railway line the bridge traverses, police say drivers should avoid the route.
Instead, they say, drivers should use Oxford Street West or Gainsborough Road.
But the area's city councillor said he fears more cut-through traffic on neighbourhoods streets not meant for heavy use.
"It's a significant east-west artery in the northwest and it should be replaced, the sooner the better," Coun.
Paul Hubert said yesterday of the bridge.
The bridge is owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, which is making no promises about a quick fix. It could take up to three weeks to
repair the damage, the railway says.
The truck was stuck on the bridge for hours, the driver charged with violating the span's five-tonne weight limit.
Earlier this year, CP told the city the bridge is sound and there was no need to replace it, although there have been some suggestions
it would be replaced in 2011.
"I think CP is going to have to move that up," said Hubert. "Because I think they're now recognizing the need for it.
Time has caught up with this piece of infrastructure."
The historic bridge, built in 1904, has been the subject of driver frustration for years.
Approaches to the bridge have tight curves, and drivers depend on the courtesy of each other to get across the link amid long,
rush-hour lineups.
Council has designated the bridge a heritage structure.
Hubert said if the bridge is rebuilt, the original should be used as a foot and bike crossing, with a new, two-way bridge
part of a road realignment.
In August, Hubert and fellow rookie councillors Nancy Branscombe and Walter Lonc put council on notice for the upcoming 2008 budget
debate they want money set aside to replace or expand the bridge.
They also asked the city to conduct a traffic study and consider installing a traffic light to control bridge traffic.
Staff said yesterday the 2008 draft capital budget includes a small amount of money earmarked for preliminary designs of a new
structure.
A few years ago, city staff said traffic in the area didn't warrant a new bridge. But the northwest has been booming.
It's estimated a new, four-lane bridge would cost upwards of $9 million, which would be shared between the city and CP.
CP spokesperson Michel Spenard confirmed the bridge will be closed for two or three weeks, but declined comment on whether the railway
will move up the replacement date.
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