Demolition of Waterford silos to begin in September

Sections of the Waterford Heritage Trail will be closed starting Monday (Sept. 18) as preparations for the demolition of the Waterford silos get underway.

The silos are being demolished to make way for the Silos of Waterford, a 256-unit subdivision that officials hope will help address Norfolk’s need for housing.

Starting Monday, the upper trail from the south gate on Black Bridge to the section of trail where the upper and lower trails connect will be closed. The pedestrian stairs that connect the upper and lower trails will also be closed, Norfolk County officials said in a statement released Friday.

Fencing and signage will be in place, county officials say.

Trail users traveling north or south can continue to use the lower trail to bypass the closed section. Signage directing trail users to the lower trail will be in place, the county says.

Black Bridge will remain open and county officials say signage will be in place at the upper trail access at Mechanic Street to direct southbound trail uses to detour to the lower trail.

The county has closed the parking lot at the end of Nichol Street West. Alternative parking is available at the lower trail entrance on Concession 8 (Mechanic Street), on Thompson Road, and Alice Street in downtown Waterford.

Nichol Street West will be closed at McCool Street, however access to businesses along McCool Street, including the storage units, warehouses, and school bus depot, will not be impacted, county officials say.

Those using the trail are urged to respect the barriers and signage.

Demolition of the decommissioned agricultural silos, located at Nichol Street West and McCool Street, is expected to be later this month and completed by the end of this year.

No explosives will be used during the demolition, county officials say.

Instead, a high-reach excavator with a concrete pulverizer attachment will be used to demolish the silos. This will allow the resulting granular concrete material to be recycled.

Dust inhibitors will be in place to reduce the impact on air quality. Artwork on the silos, completed by local children, has been captured for a yet-to-be determined future use, county officials say.

Built approximately 50 years ago, the silos served an agricultural supply depot. They have been decommissioned for several years and must, by order of the provincial government, must come down by 2024.

In August, Norfolk council voted in favor of an official plan amendment to move the project forward.

“This is the most dense development this term of council has dealt with and it’s the second largest development in the last five years, if not the history of this council,” Norfolk Mayor Amy Martin said at the time.

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