Beaver Dam Bridge opens to traffic

The project had been planned for years, but it took a record flood and near disaster to make it a reality. Patrick Jones reports on the nation’s newest bridge.

Patrick Jones, Reporting

The new Beaver Dam Bridge was opened to vehicular traffic two weeks ahead of the scheduled official inauguration. Chief Engineer Cadet Henderson says the decision was taken to help set the pavement.

Cadet Henderson, Chief Engineer

“Physically it is completed and is able to accommodate traffic. We felt that it was prudent to open it to traffic. The Traffic will help to cure and set the first layer of pavement that has gone on. And after another two or three weeks, we’ll do a second surface dressing of the approaches to the bridge.”

But while the finishing touches are being added to the approaches to the structure, below deck, heavy machinery is carving up the riverbed.

Joe Friesen, Contractor

“And what we’re doing, open up the creek up to the bed level and make sure the water has to be spread out behind the bridge. At the upstream, not that important, but behind the bridge have to be right, flowing easy, then the bridge won’t take no current that will wash away anything under the bridge.”

That’s what happened in June of last year when floodwaters severely compromised the foundations of the original structure. Henderson says this time around, all safeguards are being put in place to ensure that a repeat of the 2002 scenario will not inconvenience motorists.

Cadet Henderson

“The work under the bridge is essentially on the river channel itself, what we call river training. What we’re doing is to modify both the vertical and horizontal alignment of the creek to improve its efficiency of discharge, so that water that congregate in that area will leave the area quicker than the performance of June of last year.”

While the idea is to get water through the channel at a high rate of speed, Henderson is appealing to motorists to slow down on approaching the bridge, as loose chips are a hazard until the highway is set. A temporary twenty miles per hour speed limit for the Beaver Dam Bridge is in place, but the speed restriction should be lifted in a couple days time. Patrick Jones, for News 5.