Cornwall Ontario - A project to rehabilitate one of the busiest county road bridges in SDG County will move forward this year.
 
At a special meeting of SDG County Council, councillors approved a $973,000 bid by Dalcon Constructors Ltd. to rehab the County Road 31 bridge over the Canadian Pacific railway (CP) line in Winchester.
 
Dalcon was the lowest of six contractors who bid on the project, which county Transportation and Planning Services Director Benjamin deHaan called a competitive bidding process.
 
"It was a very competitive bid with lots of contractors looking at it," he said announcing that the project was $440,000 under budget.
 
Citing a lack of provincial highway bridge contracts in 2021, deHaan said that bridge contractors were hungry for the work.
 
Councillor Tony Fraser (North Dundas) said it was good to hear that the overpass project was going ahead.
 
"Every time I look at it, I think it has gotten worse. The falling concrete, the parging missing, and the rebar exposed, it puts great concern on lots of us," he said.
 
Once the rehab project is underway, traffic on the bridge will be reduced to one lane.
 
Vehicles, including agricultural equipment, that are over 3.6 metres wide, will have to follow a detour via County Roads 38 and 3 through Inkerman.
 
Work is expected to begin on the project in the next week or so.
 
Phillip Blancher.