Wallaceburg walking bridge plan available to review

New details in the plan to rehabilitate the LO Stonehouse Pedestrian Bridge in Wallaceburg are now available for public review.

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent and consultants have finished an environmental study for the project. Their preferred solution is to replace the main and lift spans and fix up the remainder of the bridge, which has been closed since November 2021.

The north span and components of the south span would temporarily be removed under this plan “to facilitate their rehabilitation, which includes galvanizing and recoating,” the project files state.

If the work goes forward, there will be construction staging areas on both the north and south sides of the bridge.

The area on the north side is within the McDougall Street right-of-way. The larger staging area on the south side also includes the McDougall Street right-of-way and a gravel parking lot owned by the municipality.

The project files also look at potential impacts and how to mitigate them, which will be incorporated into the detailed design and construction phases of the project.

The report notes there is no in-water work with the project and a previous study found there was no archeological impact to the area of ​​the project.

The mitigation efforts include ways to protect species at risk and habitat, maintain the heritage value of the bridge and minimize noise from construction, among other considerations.

The project will require a permit from the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority and approval from Transport Canada’s Navigation Protection Program.

The project documents are available at www.letstalkchatham-kent.ca/rehabilitation-of-the-lo-stonehouse-pedestrian-bridge for a 30-day review until May 1.

Residents can also visit the Wallaceburg branch of the Chatham-Kent Public Library and the Chatham-Kent Civic Center during regular hours to view the documents.

Questions or comments on the files can be directed to Curtis Watson, the project manager from Dillon Consulting, at 519-438-1288 ext. 1280 gold [email protected] and Jason Cikatricis, engineering consultant with the municipality, at 519-360-1998 ext. 3336 gold [email protected].

If there are no further concerns, the project could move to the implementation phase, which includes the detailed design, construction and environmental monitoring.