For much of the past several months Cameron Street in Killaloe has been closed to traffic during the preparations to rehabilitate the metal bridge. A new structure was actually assembled on nearby Lake Street and on Dec. 8, the long wait ended when it was lifted into place. Above: panoramic view of the work site from the Lake Street side of the creek.
Plans for the hoist began a long time ago. Bridges in the County of Renfrew are not a municipal matter; rather, the County Public Works and Engineering Dept. has the responsibility for maintaining bridges. County’s 10-Year Capital Works Program 2012-2021 listed B202 Cameron St. Bridge, Cameron Street Superstructure, for rehabilitation in 2021 at an estimated cost of $180,000 (based on 2012 figures). But when County issued a Tender/RFP in March 2020, Public Works had revised the budgeted amount to $800,000 and when the tender was awarded to R.G.T. Clouthier Construction Ltd. in April, their bid (the lowest) came in at $951,797.50. By June the Public Works documents on the Renfrew County website showed a project cost of $1,179,977 and that variance of an additional $379,977 persisted through the construction period.
Killaloe residents welcomed a sizeable convoy on Tuesday as the equipment needed to lift the bridge deck into position was brought into town. One massive truck carried a crane that would be used to assemble the much bigger crane (which arrived on a further three huge trucks) that would eventually be used for the hoist. And then there was another enormous truck carrying the ballast needed to stabilize the big crane as it would be lifting the bridge structure (deck only) that weighed in at 39 metric tonnes. Once the bed and railings were positioned, the entire Cameron Street bridge would tip the scales at 59 metric tonnes.
Above: the big crane with counterweight
Lee Visutski, project manager for Clouthier, told The Current that the site at the junction of Cameron and Lake Streets in the heart of Killaloe presented a number of hazards for his colleagues and for the Ottawa-based crane operator, Regional Crane Rentals. There are residences on three of the four corners where the streets meet, trees beside the streets and the creek, and there are also power lines extremely close to the bridge location. Fortunately, the weather cooperated and there were no strong winds to add to the on-site hazards.
Despite the potential for challenges, careful planning by the professionals involved ensured that everything proceeded smoothly on the day. By midmorning the massive deck was guided slowly and delicately downward and came to rest with precision. In the brief video below you can hear a team member shout out the good news as the structure touched down.
The history of this bridge goes much further back. The stamp on the original bridge read Royal Engineers attributed to the creation of the Rideau canal and Canadian Railroads.
What class of Bailey bridge is it? As an example, a Class 40 Bailey Bridge is for vehicles crossing not to exceed 40 tons, inclusive of two way traffic and with trailers where applicable.