The City of Hamilton still has no timeline for the reopening of the downbound lanes of the Claremont Access, which closed March 2 after a routine inspection identified erosion and slope stability concerns.
Director of engineering services Jackie Kennedy told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton that work is moving slowly to repair parts of a steel wall on the escarpment access between Hunter Street and Upper James Street.
“I don’t have a timeline yet,” Kennedy said.
“We do want to make sure that things are safe. That’s certainly the priority and we are doing this out of an abundance of caution.”
Kennedy said engineers and a contractor were at the location Monday hoping to remove a steel facing panel, around since the late 1960s, that’s been absorbing pressure from the nearby soil.
However, removal has not yet begun and a permanent solution to solve the matter has not yet been devised.
“The next thing we need to do is get is these steel facing walls that were put up for erosion control, off the escarpment,” she explained.
“Have a look at it and then work with our consulting experts to determine what would be the best next solution for maintaining safety along the roadway.”
Concerns about the stability of the escarpment were raised through a routine inspection conducted in late February by Stantec Consulting, which reported decay “indicative of a potential failure of certain sections” along the escarpment.
In all some 600 metres of the steel walls are expected to be removed at some point.
The city’s temporary alternative for drivers looking to get to the lower city consists of a turn onto Upper Wentworth from Fennel Avenue, down the Jolley Cut to Arkledun and then to John Street South.
Kennedy said consultations with the city’s Transportation Operations in terms of how to best manage the traffic are also continuing, looking at options for traffic flow, including converting lanes into a one up and one down lane.
“I’m working with traffic operations and maintenance to determine what we can do there. The top priority right now is to make sure that it’s safe,” she said.
Comments