With provincial and now the federal funding secured for Kingston’s third bridge crossing, city staff are now working on the next phases of the project to get ready for construction in a little over a year’s time.
The city hopes to have a project management team assembled to design and build the bridge by the summer.
Kingston’s director of engineering Mark Van Buren says requests for proposals will be issued in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re going to be looking for a team that brings some really good technical expertise but also some good construction management expertise as well.”
Construction is expected to take three years.
The city still has to consult with area businesses and residents to minimize the construction impact.
Talks also have to happen with Parks Canada to keep the river open for boaters.
The Cataraqui River, which the 1.2-kilometre bridge spans, is also the entrance to the Rideau Canal.
Van Buren says traffic on the canal is vital to the region.
“Parks Canada, as our major stakeholder in the project, is to look for ways in which we can minimize as much as those impacts even on the boaters that are using that part of the river.”
Howard Catley lives in the condominiums at the end of John Counter Boulevard next to the planned construction on the west bank of the river.
He says he’ll miss the quiet of living on a dead-end street but thinks the bridge will provide benefits as well.
“Highway 15’s right there, me and my wife are going to walk across it probably if we can, drive across it — it’s going to be good for exercise too.”
Don Maycock also lives in the same condominium complex as Catley.
He says he’s concerned about long-term impacts of living so close to the bridge but understands why it’s needed for public safety.
“A little concerned about traffic and noise, but there’s a lot of concerns if you get an accident on the 401.”
Samantha Arneil lives near the Cataraqui River’s western shore where the bridge is set to be built as well.
“I do a lot of driving so I just think it’s going to be beneficial that way, so I think I’m going to take the short-term pain and wait for the gain.”
The city will also be starting negotiations to acquire some parcels of land on the south side of John Counter Boulevard.
Van Buren says they will be necessary to accommodate the bridge’s footprint and street redesign.
“That’s work that the city’s going to be undertaking over the course of the next several months, is to look at the land acquisitions that are going to be needed to support the project.”
A temporary bridge will be built parallel to the third crossing, to assist construction crews to move materials and build Kingston’s third crossing.