Welland has announced an indefinite road closure of the Forks Road Bridge in Dain City.
The closure will start this Friday at 9am and will remain closed until further notice.
City officials say pedestrian access will remain open, but no vehicles will be allowed to cross.
City Council and staff releasing a statement saying they understand the significance of traffic disruptions that occur with road closures, and they are arranging the most direct detour.
The city’s Engineering Division has routinely monitored the condition of the Forks Road Bridge since the bridge underwent a temporary closure in 2016.
The 2016 closure involved three weeks of maintenance repairs by Rankin Construction and Black Creek Metal.
Staff anticipated the maintenance would give the Forks Road Bridge several more years of life expectancy; however, during a recent inspection engineering staff discovered that the structure is deteriorating faster than anticipated.
“It’s not possible to determine how quickly the steel will continue to corrode, and the impact this will have on the integrity of the structure,” said Chris Anders, Manager of Engineering Services. “We aren't able to control which vehicles cross the bridge, and whether or not they are under the posted load restriction, so we need to keep public safety first and foremost.”
A report containing several options will be presented to City Council later this year.
The detour will be Highway 58, Townline Tunnel Road and Canal Bank Street.