Work has started again on the Margaret Avenue bridge, more than two years after the original bridge was deemed unsafe.
Crews started at 10 p.m. Saturday evening and worked until around 3 a.m. installing 14 large concrete beams. The beams weigh 60,000 pounds each.
“Starting on Tuesday we'll start putting some concrete on the top of this, next week we're looking at a deck pour for this, finish filling in the abutments, keep proceeding from there,” explained Chris Spere, the manager of construction engineering on the project.
“Certainly having the bridge construction moving forward is going to be important for reconnecting people east and west of Margaret Ave,” said Kitchener mayor Berry Vrbanovic, who stopped by to watch construction Saturday evening.
“Hopefully it will be done soon enough that we can alleviate some of the traffic back and forth so we can go shopping,” said Robert Montgomery, who had also come to watch the construction.
The goal is to have the bridge completed this fall.
“We're looking at end of September, early October; have this thing open by Oktoberfest,” Spere said.
Work on the bridge began last October.
