Drivers will soon be able to travel to downtown Victoria on the Bay Street bridge as the upgrade project continues.
The eastbound lane of the Bay Street (Point Ellice) bridge, which has been closed since May 21 for a $6.1-million construction project, is expected to open on Monday, Oct. 28. The lane was expected to reopen at around the end of October.
The City of Victoria says the bridge will be open in both directions from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting Monday. But overnight from Sunday to Thursday, traffic will be back down to the westbound lane. The city anticipates the overnight construction will wrap up at the end of November.
The Bay Street bridge eastbound lane will reopen on Oct. 28, 2019. (City of Victoria)
The project includes repairs to the concrete deck, rust protection of the steel, resurfacing the bridge deck and stripping and painting the steel on the underside of the bridge. The contract was awarded to Seismic 2000, with the federal and provincial governments contributing $1.2 million each for the project.
There was pedestrian and wheelchair access on the eastbound side of the bridge during the closure, but eastbound cyclists did have to dismount and walk across.
Drivers going to downtown Victoria could go on the Johnson Street Bridge or through Saanich. BC Transit buses were also rerouted.
The existing Bay Street bridge was built in 1956-57 on foundations and abutments of the pre-existing bridge. The bridge has four equal spans, with a total length of approximately 183m (600 ft.). It received a seismic upgrade in 2001-2002, which included some reinforcement of the piers, replacement of the main bridge bearings, and work to seal joints in the roadway surface.
The Bay Street bridge eastbound lane will reopen on Oct. 28, 2019. (City of Victoria)
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