Residents from across London, Ont., flocked to the site of the Victoria Bridge reconstruction site to see the “big lift.”
The crowd gathered on Ridout Street next to Thames Park on Tuesday morning to see one of the steel arches being lifted into place.
With the arches weighing more than 130 tonnes each and measuring 90 metres in length, a mega crawler crane was brought in to do the heavy lifting, marking one of the largest lifts in the province this year.
Jennie Dann, director of construction and infrastructure services with the city, said that the crane alone is around 650 tonnes.
“It’s one of the biggest cranes in North America,” she told Global News. “It was delivered on forty transport trucks and had to be assembled on site. So, it’s really exciting stuff to watch.”
The city invited Londoners to witness the significant development in the reconstruction process. Amongst the crowd was longtime Old South resident Mike Phillips who has watched the construction process since day one.
“I have lived here my whole life,” he said. “I used to climb up over the old bridge as a kid. I watched them take it down, and I want to see them put it up.
“I miss the old bridge, but everything has to change,” Phillips added.
Jeff Kutcha has lived in the Old South neighbourhood for the past 58 years. Showing up bright and early Tuesday with a lawn chair, he said that he didn’t want to miss “history in the making.”
“It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a person that works for the city,” said Kutcha, who is a technologist in water operations with the City of London. “You don’t see these projects often so this is a real treat.
“I watched the old bridge and I grew up on it, so I’ve got a connection here,” he added.
Along with Kutcha, resident Dwight Bender shared his fascination with the reconstruction process, but highlighted how the construction has severely impacted his day-to-day commute.
“There’s always construction, but it has been significant for me. I have to find different routes to go south, which I do frequently,” he said. “But I know it’s gonna be just fine. It’ll be a long-term gain for short-term pain, as they say.”
A dozen other residents gathered around the intersection of Horton Street and Ridout Street, including three-year-old Liam Williamson wearing a yellow hard hat with a bright safety vest that he bought himself.
As an aspiring construction worker, his parents said that they pulled their son out of daycare to see the large steel arches suspended in mid-air.
“It’s a pretty special moment,” said Liam’s father, Matt Williamson. “Definitely not something that happens every day.”
Going back to Dann, she says that “the previous Victoria Bridge was 100 years old, and this is going to be a landmark in our city for another 100 more.”
According to the city, the two-day operation will continue Thursday, when residents are invited once again to check out the site.
The viewing area is located at the north end of the project, just south of Horton Street and west of Ridout Street.
A livestream is also available on the City of London’s website.
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