The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has awarded a $998,900 contract to Seismic 2000 Construction Ltd. of Aldergrove to carry out the Cowichan River bridges’ seismic safety retrofit project.

This upgrade is scheduled to begin in late September and be completed by spring 2018. 

“Retrofitting the existing structures to meet current seismic standards will ensure the Trans-Canada Highway corridor is kept safe and reliable for traffic, cyclists and pedestrians,” said Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena. 

The 77-metre-long twin steel bridges over the Cowichan River are located in Duncan on Highway 1, approximately 200 metres north of the Boys Road intersection. The west bridge was built in 1950 and the east bridge was built in 1978. Both require seismic and safety upgrades to bring them up to modern-day standards. Work will involve raising and lowering each bridge to replace the existing bearings with seismic isolation bearings.

During construction, the ministry will ensure traffic delays are kept to a minimum, particularly during peak periods. Intermittent closures of approximately two to four hours will occur overnight when traffic volumes are lowest, and travellers will be diverted over the adjacent bridge. Motorists are advised to pay special attention to signs because of these changing traffic patterns, obey traffic control personnel, and watch for workers throughout the project. For up-to-date traffic advisories, please check: http://www.drivebc.ca/

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