Peace Bridge re-decking halfway complete
A US$80-million reconstruction of the Peace Bridge is halfway finished and on schedule.
The total project cost is $100 million with the necessary engineering and environmental studies factored into the plan, which will be completed in spring 2019, said Peace Bridge Authority (PBA) general manager Ron Rienas.
Work began last fall on the re-decking project, a makeover that will improve the bridge with upgraded light standards, new railings, a 2.4-metrewide multipurpose sidewalk widening, a new overhead gantry system with variable messaging capability, and the installation of a viewing deck area at the international boundary line.
“It will be much more conducive to accommodating pedestrians and cyclists than what it was previously,” said Rienas.
The sidewalk will be closed until the reconstruction is complete in 2019. Crews will continue working hard through the winter leading up to the busy tourist season, so the bridge can reopen to three lanes when the summer arrives.
This is the biggest major overhaul the 1,074-metre-long structure has been given since it was built in 1927.
“There are sections of the deck that have been repaired over the years, but that deck has not been replaced in 90 years.
About a decade ago, a twin-bridge plan emerged that would have seen a second span built next to the iconic border crossing, including a rehabilitation of the Peace Bridge after a new cable-stay design was built. That was scrapped when agencies in the U.S. determined the project couldn’t go forward due to the impact it may have on migratory birds.
The latest work will be financed over the next 30 years and is completely funded by the PBA, part of an ongoing capital plan of about $170 million, including a recently-completed $25-million expansion of the commercial inspection building in the U.S.
A new Canadian plaza was unveiled in 2007.
There are no immediate plans to update the aging administration building on the American side, as the PBA is monitoring various changes in technology at crossings that are expected to be handed down from the federal governments.