Bridge in ‘good condition’ despite repeated dislodgements

Report indicates Brantford highway overpass shows no signs of distress

The Ministry of Transportation says the Wayne Gretzky Parkway bridge is “safe for use” after concrete from the overpass fell atop Highway 403 in Brantford on Monday.

Chunks of concrete from the bridge have tumbled onto the provincial highway three times in the past six months — incidents that all sparked hours-long traffic delays and immediate reviews by the ministry.

But a biannual inspection report obtained by The Spectator shows the five-decades-old bridge is in “overall good condition” with no signs of structural distress.

The September 2020 inspection found the overpass to have a bridge condition index (BCI) — the measure of a bridge’s overall structural condition and its remaining economic value expressed in a number between zero and 100 — of 75.3.

Bridges with a BCI of 70 or above are generally considered to be in good condition, according to a maintenance report from the Office of the Auditor General published last December.

So what explains the recent spate of incidents at the major Brantford artery?

All of them involved commercial trucks whose oversized loads struck the bridge, dislodging protective girders and slabs of concrete onto the highway.

Lee Alderson, senior issues adviser for the ministry, said in a statement the minimum vertical clearance in the westbound and eastbound lanes below the parkway is 4.5 metres and 4.7 metres, respectively.

That’s well above the legal vertical load height of 4.15 metres permitted for trucks in Ontario under the Highway Traffic Act. Alderson said drivers with loads over the height limit are required to get a permit from the ministry, while drivers with loads over 4.3 metres require a “route clearance.”

“The ministry does not install signs showing the height clearance of bridges, as the bridges all meet clearance requirements,” Alderson said via email.

Other overpasses along the 403 in the Brantford area boast heights ranging between 4.6 metres and 5.3 metres, slightly taller than the parkway bridge.

Const. Conrad Vitalis of the Ontario Provincial Police said the incident on Monday involved a commercial truck that accessed the highway at Garden Avenue, the ramp just east of the Gretzky parkway.

“This is how it did not hit any other bridges,” he said. “Wayne Gretzky was the first bridge it drove under.”

Vitalis said charges tied to this week’s collision have not yet been laid, but are pending.

He said police can’t disclose specifics until involved parties are served.

In January, OPP charged a truck driver and a business in connection to concrete falling from the overpass.

The driver was charged with failing to remain at an accident and operating an overheight vehicle, said Vitalis, while the business was charged only with operating an overheight vehicle.

All of them involved commercial trucks whose oversized loads struck the bridge, dislodging protective girders and slabs of concrete onto the highway