Beaver River Bridge project underway in Beaverton

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

BROCK: Demolition work is underway on the Beaver River bridge outside Beaverton, with the new temporary bridge expected to open early this autumn.

Durham Region's contractor for this project mobilized to the site, in early July, and has been working over the past several weeks, installing various safety and environmental protection measures. These measures include: traffic protection; erosion and sediment control systems; and a river protection system, featuring floating interlocking barges. Recently, demolition work has begun on the bridge, to facilitate the new, temporary bridge.

Regional Councillor, Mike Jubb noted, the temporary bridge is expected to alleviate the traffic issues which have plagued the community for almost a year, since the emergency closure of the bridge last fall, while facilitating the construction of a new permanent structure. The work is anticipated to be completed over the next three years, with the Region forecasting a completion date sometime in 2027.

“Bridge planning takes years. So when you go to repair a bridge, it’s probably five, six, even seven years to finish that project,” explained Councillor Jubb. “This situation was obviously unplanned, and design was underway, but probably only 30 percent, so we’re still three years out from a permanent bridge. The reasoning is, we fought very hard to get funding, from the provincial government, for a temporary bridge, because we cannot wait three years. Emergency services need access. Our businesses, in town, everybody needs access. That’s the reason for a temporary bridge and it’s extremely complicated.”

Councillor Jubb added, once the temporary bridge is in place this autumn, traffic will not be interrupted, to complete the new permanent bridge. The temporary bridge is being built, slightly to the south of the existing structure, with two new lanes, to avoid further disruptions to local traffic as the project continues.

The Beaver River bridge project has received all necessary approvals from key regulatory bodies, including: Transport Canada Navigation Protection, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO).