A view of the Johnson Street Bridge construction site from the City of Victoria’s webcam. (City of Victoria).
The lower counterweight and steel rings for the new Johnson Street Bridge are set to be installed next month.
According to the City of Victoria, starting on Dec. 8, the Dynamic Beast crane barge will lift the lower counterweight and steel rings into the bascule pier. The crane barge is scheduled to be parked in the marine channel under the current Johnson Street Bridge for up to five days.
To accommodate the construction, the marine channel under the Johnson Street Bridge will be closed to all marine traffic while the barge is in the marine channel. The closure applies to all vessels, including industrial and commercial vessels, and smaller boats such as sailboats, canoes and kayaks.
The city said during the scheduled lifts, the existing Johnson Street bridge will be periodically closed to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. The closures could last for several hours. The Bay Street Bridge can be used as an alternate route.
The public should also expect some noise and additional lighting around the construction area.
The city also added that the best view of the construction will be from the northweast side bridge near Canoe Club and Mermaid Wharf. The activities can also be viewed online via the project webcam.
After the steel rings and the lower counterweight are installed, the bridge deck span will be attached to the rings. The bridge deck span is currently on a barge and being worked on in Victoria’s Upper Harbour. It is set to be attached to the rings in January.
Here is the city’s construction schedule:
Day 1
- The Dynamic Beast crane barge will pass under the current bridge into the Upper Harbour
- An approximate 45-minute closure of the existing bridge will occur sometime between 7 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Day 2
- The Dynamic Beast crane barge will be positioned in the channel under the existing bridge. An approximate 45-minute closure of the existing bridge will occur sometime between 7 a.m. – 9 a.m.
- The Dynamic Beast crane barge will also lift the lower counterweight and north ring into the bascule pier
- Intermittent bridge closures will occur for several hours between 9:15 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Day 3
- The Dynamic Beast crane barge will lift the south ring into the bascule pier and depart Victoria
- Intermittent closures will occur between 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. and an approximate 45-minute closure will occur when the crane barge exits from under the current bridge between 2:45 p.m. – 5 p.m.
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