Corner Brook Main Street bridge set to open soon — despite the weather
The Main Street bridge project, in the centre of Corner Brook, is on track to finish before the end of November —despite cold temperatures and heavy snowfall.
The project was originally scheduled to be finished by mid-October, with the downtown section of the city shut down for months as contractors replace the old bridge.
"This is not what we had hoped for," said Darren Charters, director of engineering and planning with the City of Corner Brook.
"It's been a really rough fall and early winter season so far. It has delayed the project a little but but we are still on track to open by the end of the month."
The new bridge and roadway should be passable to the public in two weeks, but the weather has played a large factor, especially for things like paving and setting concrete.
"Typically, when you are paving a roadway that's on ground, if that ground is frozen, that's not good. In this case, it's a concrete deck and you can pave over top of that," said Charters.
Contractors plan on heating up the area, maintaining that heat, and pouring concrete and laying asphalt while there's snow on the ground.
"It's complicated. It really does slow things down, but it's still possible," he said.
The last of the work will require crew members to brave the harsh temperatures and work a lot of overtime to meet the goal end date of Nov. 30.
Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
