Kinsmen bridge reconstruction delayed

Construction of the new Kinsmen Bridge has started at Algonquin Bridge in Thorndale. The completed structure is expected to be delivered to Tillsonburg in January and open to the public in mid-March. (Contributed Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Issues with the existing supports have pushed the target opening of the Kinsmen Bridge back to March.

The opening date for the bridge was initially set for January, with restoration of the trail in Participark completed in March after the weather improved. That date is now being pushed to mid-March, as detailed in a report to council at the Dec. 8 meeting.

Planmac Consulting, the firm overseeing the project, wrote: “The supplier of the bridge could not initiate the manufacture of the piercolumns above the existing stone columns until further measurements were taken, the intent always being to maintain as much of the existing heritage structure. Once the top of the stone pillars were fully accessible and the measurements were taken it was determined that the existing built stone columns are not perfectly aligned and rotated which meant modifying the structural steel to receive the new bridge. The top of the stone columns would be modified to receive the structural steel accordingly. The design engineers worked together to find solutions to modify and receive the pier column new structural steel and coincide with its installation on the existing stone foundations. The contractor also proposed some modifications to the stone caps to enhance the finishes and ensure water runoff would not be trapped.”

Carlos Reyes, Director of Operations and Development, said it’s expected the bridge will be at the site in mid-January.

Coun. Bob Parsons asked Reyes about the financial implications of the delay, and Reyes told him there weren’t any.

He also assured it is made from Canadian steel and is made in Canada after a question from Mayor Deb Gilvesy.

With portions of the old bridge salvaged, the council was wrestling with the possibility of creating a static display, either in Participark or adjacent to Veterans’ Memorial Walkway. The report said John Veldman, a member of the Bridge Street Reimaging Task Force, would provide no-cost design services to incorporate the former bridge into the walkway.

Council received the report for information.