Lennox Passage bridge repairs more extensive than anticipated

Won’t be operational for marine traffic this season

LENNOX PASSAGE — A major refurbishment of the bridge that links Isle Madame to Cape Breton has taken longer and is more extensive than originally envisioned, meaning it will not be operational for marine traffic this season.

Last fall, the tender to repair the lift bridge at Lennox Passage was awarded at a cost of $4.54 million to Allsteel Coatings Ltd. of Port Hastings. The work had been scaled back slightly from the original vision after the only bid came back more expensive than anticipated.

In an interview, Lloyd Hall, district bridge engineer with Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, said while it was originally hoped the work would conclude in time for the bridge to reopen for the boating season, the work now isn’t expected to be finished until mid- to late-October.

“It mainly came down to some additional work that was required,” he said.

One of the largest aspects of the project was a rehab of the lift bridge’s mechanical components, Hall said. Initially, it was believed they could be worked on while in place, however when crews started to actually do the work that wasn’t possible.

“They had to be all disassembled and sent away to be worked on and then reassembled and put back in place, so that added a lot of time to that aspect of the bridge,” Hall said. “Plus, the physical bridge itself, while we were there, we looked at doing new bearings on the concrete girders … that’s a very difficult replacement, but with the contractor being there and having everything on site to do it, it was a much better idea to do it right, so that caused some delays.”

Some additional steel work was also required. In all, Hall said it’s now expected the project will cost about 10 per cent more than originally anticipated.

While the work takes place, one lane remains open to motor vehicle traffic, controlled by traffic lights. When the work is completed, the bridge will be able to lift.

“This is a major refurbishment of this bridge and we shouldn’t have to come back to do any work here for a long time,” Hall said. “Mechanically, it’s going to be almost brand new when we’re done.”

Hall said the contractor and field staff have done good work on the project.

“They’ve been really good to offer some out-of-the-box solutions to try to speed some things up,” he said.

The bridge had to be welded shut last year and did open to boaters that season.

The bridge is a four-span, 98.5metre bascule bridge with two concrete spans, a counterweight span and a steel bascule span, located on Route 320.

Historically, the span has opened, originally as a swing bridge and more recently as a lift bridge, which dates back to the 1970s.

The bridge lifts to allow boat traffic to pass underneath it to allow access to the Bras d’Or Lake.

When it was warmer than

26 C there was a possibility the bridge would not shut again once it was open because of the expansion of the joints. With the span welded shut, much boat traffic is no longer able to make use of the shortcut and must travel around Isle Madame.

The repairs are also expected to make the bridge more energy efficient.

In raising concerns about the condition of the bridge last year area MLA Alana Paon, who now sits as an independent, said Richmond County tourism operators reported a serious decline in traffic because boaters did not want to reroute around Isle Madame.

“This is a major refurbishment of this bridge and we shouldn’t have to come back to do any work here for a long time.”

Lloyd Hall