The Warsaw Road Swing Bridge on Parkhill Road East in Peterborough, Ont., which spans the Trent-Severn Waterway, has been closed again by Parks Canada for repairs.
The closure, which is expected to be in-place for two weeks, is required for the completion of upgrades to the bridge’s metal grating deck.
READ MORE: Warsaw Road swing bridge in Peterborough closing for 2 weeks in November for repairs
In early July, Parks Canada reported select grating panels were removed, repaired and reattached to the bridge in an attempt to reduce the noise caused by vehicles using the metal bridge.
Officials say they’ve since monitored the bridge and the associated noise levels to determine if the repair was successful before moving onto a full repair.
In August, Parks Canada officials said additional panels were increasingly being affected by the same issue, which has prompted the current closure and repair work.
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“In the months after we opened the bridge, there was noise coming from the bridge,” Nicole Weber, Parks Canada project delivery team senior engineer tells Global News Peterborough.
“It appeared the clips (that hold the bridge grating down to the structure) were failing, the welding that welded them to the panels had cracked. Although there was no threat to public safety at the time, it was loud.”
Weber said Parks Canada has worked with the contractor and design consultant to redesign the clips to make them more robust.
“Based on this, we don’t expect another closure associated with this issue. However, we will continue to monitor those clips over the next weeks and months, to make sure that’s successful,” Weber added.
Weber said approximately 200 clips are now being replaced.
The bridge was replaced in late 2020 and remained closed until summer 2021, creating a long-term closure between Armour Road and Television Road.
At that time, several businesses along that stretch of road expressed concerns to Global News over the closure, despite access remaining to the businesses along Parkhill Road East from Television Road to the bridge itself.
During the current bridge closure, all businesses remain open and vehicular access is allowed from the east from Television Road.
On Wednesday, Brent Perry, president of Alf Curtis Home Improvements Inc., told Global News Peterborough he didn’t expect the latest closure to impact business too much.
“Even if it’s coincidentally or not, and I believe it’s coincidence, the timing couldn’t be better with the hunt that started this week,” he said.
“We’re always normally slower during the period of the hunt. Can I say that the bridge impacted our business being slower right now than the hunt has? No, I can’t because we’re down what we’d normally would be.”
In an email, Darryl Breadner, owner of 4 Aces Auto Centre, stated his concern was that the bridge keeps needing work.
“Just that it’s taken three or four attempts to get the project completed properly,” Breadner said.
When asked if he saw an impact during the lengthy closure during the fall of 2020 to summer 2021, Breadner stated, “absolutely, I did. It was devastating.”
READ MORE: Peterborough-area business owners concerned over long-term road closure
Those needing to cross the bridge using a vehicle can go to the north at Nassau Mills Road, or to the south along Lansdowne Street.
Pedestrians and cyclists can cross the Parkhill Road bridge using the sidewalk along the southern side.
Signage at the bridge indicates it will be reopened on Nov. 18.
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