TIMMINS - An early blast of colder weather caused a bit of panic in the contractor rebuilding a Timmins bridge, but city staff remains hopeful it will be driveable this year.
Director of growth and infrastructure Scott Tam gave an update on the Hoyle bridge project at the Sept. 17 council meeting.
The bridge abutments are fully constructed, the backfill on the side is nearly done and the steel girders were installed, he told council.
The concrete work still needs to be done, along with the waterproofing and paving.
"The little stretch that we had of cold weather — the fall-type weather that we had probably about two, three weeks ago — set a little bit of panic to the constructor. So they thought winter was in full effect and they were preparing for '25 completion, but we said, 'Wait, it's still early for winter to come to Timmins.' We're working with them to work them out of that concern," said Tam.
He said the push is on to get the waterproofing and paving done this year. Then smaller outstanding items could be addressed in 2025.
Coun. John Curley asked Tam to clarify that the game plan is to reopen the structure in 2024.
"Correct, I'm still pushing to be driveable by this year," said Tam.
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The Hoyle bridge has been closed since November 2021. It has meant there's only one crossing over the Porcupine River in that area. Traffic has been rerouted down Carrigan Road.
Its closure has led to some heated community meetings over the years.
In July 2022, over 100 people packed into the Hoyle Community Centre for the one-on-one information session that turned into a heated group discussion where residents drove home concerns about emergency access, safety issues and the city's communication with affected residents.
The following month, concerned residents hoping to hear an update on the bridge filled council chambers. At one point during that meeting, a local man stormed into the room with two rocks in hand to highlight safety concerns.
The new bridge being built by Looby Builders is a two-lane, 48-metre single-span bridge. The goal is to open the bridge in November 2024.
