Bridge construction in North Lake taking longer than expected

Construction to replace a bridge in North Lake, P.E.I., has been delayed.

The bridge, built nearly 50 years ago, connects the two sides of North Lake Harbour, and is an important passageway for both cars and boats in the area. 

The construction project, which began in August,  was originally expected to be complete by Dec. 20. 

But because of a combination of poor weather and traffic, the project's end date has been pushed to the spring, said Neil Lawless, a bridge engineer with the province. 

"It's a challenging site," Lawless said.

Closed to motorists

"There was boat traffic all throughout construction, also a tight real estate area, I'll say, to work within for the contractor to perform the construction," he said. 

"We didn't have a lot of room to work with. The weather in North Lake, it's also challenging and just the geometry of the bridge."

Lawless said the bridge will be closed to motorists until April 1 to protect the integrity of the bridge while the Department of Transportation waits for the Island's asphalt plants to open. A six-kilometre detour has been put in place for motorists, he said. 

"What's left to be done is place asphalt, which is rather difficult this time of year — basically impossible," he said. 

"And we have to install the traffic barrier on each side of the bridge and then pave the road leading up to the bridge on both sides," he said.

Lawless said the project has cost about $3.2 million. 

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