Oxford Road 59 bridge construction delayed

Construction on the Highway 59 bridge in Woodstock is now expected to be completed in early April. It will open up to two-way traffic but not for long – another project in the area will have the detour back for a few additional months. (Oxford County Photo)

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Those who were hoping work on the Highway 59 bridge in Woodstock to be done by now will have to wait a little longer for the southbound detour to be removed. And even when it is, it will be back soon.

Renovation work is expected to finish in April, about four months behind schedule with the southbound lane closure and detour to be reinstated for a shorter-term construction project at the Vansittart Ave. and Devonshire Ave. intersection in late spring.

“We were hoping initially when we awarded the contract it would be completed in 2024. When the contractor, Sierra Construction, got to work, they ran into a few headaches, which happens with most construction and the timeline was pushed,” said Director of Public Works, Melissa Abercrombie.

She added crews still need to waterproof the bridge and put down a base coat of asphalt and the delay comes down to winter weather. The remaining work is also temperature-dependent and requires warmer and drier conditions to complete. With the current long-range forecast, Abercrombie is confident.

The remaining work is temperature-dependent and requires warmer and drier conditions to complete. Due to a favourable long-range weather forecast, construction is now expected to finish in early April.

“We couldn’t do that when we had the cold and snowy weather in January and February. We just weren’t able to do it. With the weather getting a bit warmer and dryer, we should be able to start working on it,” explained Abercrombie.

“We just closed the tender for that project last week and will be going to council for approval in March. We are looking at doing some upgrades at the intersection and then working down Devonshire. The first phase is the intersection and we will have to limit the bridge to northbound traffic only. Once that is done, hopefully in July, the bridge will open up to two-way traffic and not shut down again,” she added.

This second lane closure is for the first part of a four-year reconstruction project to improve Oxford Road 35 (Devonshire Avenue) in Woodstock. Construction at the Vansittart Avenue and Devonshire Avenue intersection will be carried out over several weeks in the spring, after which bridge traffic will return to normal. Road closures will then be in place on Devonshire Avenue between Vansittart Avenue and Wellington Street for sanitary, storm and water main replacement and repairs; road replacement; new bike lanes and sidewalks; and new traffic signals and streetlights.

Oxford County will provide an update to the community once the contract has been awarded and the contractor’s construction schedule is determined. For updates on this project, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/59bridge or follow Oxford County on social media.