Temporary bridge for Kingston's LaSalle Causeway expected by September
Century-old span was damaged in March and demolished in June
A temporary bridge that will allow pedestrians and vehicles to once again cross the LaSalle Causeway in Kingston, Ont. is coming — but not for another two months.
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) announced Friday it intends to rent a modular bridge for three years, while it works to find a permanent replacement to span the gap left after the previous crossing was demolished.
The department said it's expected to be in place by the end of September.
"It will have a little bit of a put together, piece look, because of the nature of the construction," said Ravi Sundararaj, a senior director with PSPC. "It is put ... together like pieces of Lego blocks, but it will be secured and certified for use for two-lane traffic."
The bridge will include access for cyclists and pedestrians, according to officials, who added the structure will also be able to support school buses and emergency vehicles, but larger trucks will be directed elsewhere.
A Bascule bridge that ferried an estimated 23,000 vehicles between the the city's downtown and its eastern suburbs, including the Royal Military College and CFB Kingston, was damaged during maintenance work at the end of March.
The century-old span was scrapped in late June.
With the causeway closed to traffic for months, residents have endured daily gridlock on roads around Waaban Crossing — the other local bridge over the Cataraqui River — especially during rush hour.
Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson said there was a sense of "urgency and frustration" in the community to see the transportation link restored.
"People have been very patient, but I think that that patience is wearing thin," he said in an interview with CBC at the beginning of July.
The mayor pointed to a significant drop in downtown business activity and concerns from hospitals about the time it's taking for ambulances to respond during emergencies.
"It's already very challenging right now," he said at the time, adding he was pushing for a solution as soon as possible and certainly by the end of the summer.
"It's going to be exponentially worse once we get to late August, early September, with the return to school," Paterson added.
Those concerns were echoed by Marijo Cuerrier, executive director of the Downtown Kingston BIA, during the a meeting with PSPC on Friday.
She read testimonials from members, one of whom reported being down $30,000 in April and May, following the causeway closure.
"If there's any opportunity to speed this up, the difference between the last two weeks in August and the first two weeks in September in terms of traffic and revenue can be quite substantial," she said.
Bridge will be removed to allow boat traffic
Another source of frustration was the damaged bridge trapping tour boats in the city's Inner Harbour, on the wrong side of the causeway from the wharf where they pick up passengers, forcing them to cancel trips and suffer heavy financial losses.
The final two boats were freed after the Bascule bridge was removed, but operators continued to raise concerns about marine access once the temporary crossing is in place.
The Inner Harbour is home to a dry dock that marine businesses rely on for repairs and maintenance, as well as storage during the off-season.
On Friday, PSPC said the marine channel will remain open until the temporary bridge starts being assembled.
After that, the department said it will be "removed and reinstalled a couple of times" before the end of the marine season to allow boats through.
"During these temporary marine access windows, vehicular, cyclist and pedestrian access will be unavailable," reads a PSPC media release. "Specific dates and timings of these marine access windows are to be determined, and public notices will be issued in advance."
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