The City of North Bay is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Lamorie Street bridge rehabilitation project.
Residents are advised that Lamorie Street will reopen within the next few days, pending snow removal and de-icing of the roadway, following an extended closure for rehabilitation, according to a public service announcement from the City of North Bay. The timing of the reopening will be dependent on safe road conditions.
Temporary traffic lights installed at the Booth Road and Lakeshore Drive intersection to manage increased traffic flow during the project will be deactivated and removed Friday afternoon.
The rehabilitation work, aimed at extending the bridge's lifespan, involved the replacement of the asphalt surface, railing, and waterproofing systems, along with concrete patchwork, crack sealing of the bridge deck, and the replacement of expansion joint seals.
The City thanks residents for their patience and cooperation during this significant infrastructure project.
The entire length of Lamorie Street, between Lakeshore Drive and Birchs Road, has been closed to traffic since late July. Access to local traffic was maintained.
The transportation link in North Bay's south end was feared in recent years by officials to be nearing the end of its viability. Instead, officials say the Lamorie Street bridge will see its useful life extended for up to two decades through a rehabilitation project that begins this summer and will include regular maintenance.
See related: $1M rehab to extend life of Lamorie Street bridge up to 20 years
A minor rehabilitation to further extend the service life of the bridge was the preferred option identified following a detailed bridge condition survey and preliminary design report completed in 2020, which reviewed options including removal, replacement, or repair.
A request for tender for the project closed on June 1 and North Bay City Council approved the award of a $1,070,549 contract for the work to KB Civil Constructors Inc. on June 20.
"The bridge requires immediate attention, according to a staff report. "If repairs are postponed any longer, major rehabilitation will be required which will increase the scope and cost significantly or the bridge will need to be closed off to traffic."
See: New life for the Lamorie Street bridge
In 2019, Towards Sustainable Infrastructure (TSI) Inc was awarded an $87,000 contract to perform a bridge condition assessment and a detailed analysis for the structural rehabilitation or replacement of the Lamorie Street bridge. "The assessment came back and it is in better shape than we thought," noted Adam Lacombe, an engineer with the City of North Bay during budget meetings earlier this year.
See also: Lamorie Street bridge continues to deteriorate, City to study its options
And: Lamorie St. bridge closing for inspection
In 2019, the outlook for the deteriorating bridge that spans the Lavase River and Ottawa Valley Railway line was so grim there was talk it might be more financially responsible to put the bridge out of service rather than pay to repair or replace it.
"Inspections performed on the structure reveal the bridge structure is showing signs of delamination, spalling and disintegration to some components as well as
exposed rebar and rust spots," the report reads. "Based on the findings of the study, it was identified that the preferred rehabilitation/replacement alternative would be a minor rehabilitation including concrete patchwork and crack injections to the deck, waterproofing and paving, replacing expansion joint elastomeric strip seals, and replacing the steel railing system which would extend the service life of the bridge by 15-20 years."
