Officials announced the contract winners and detailed the project on site at the bridge last week. Pictured third from left is Minister of Public Services and Procurement Filomena Tassi, who made the announcement. Photo credit: Twitter/Filomena Tassi
In yet another announcement involving the revival of the Burlington Canal area, Public Service and Procurement Canada (PSPC) announced a $21 million contract to refurbish the infamous Lift Bridge.
On Thursday, June 7, local MP and Minister of Public Services and Procurement Filomena Tassi announced that EllisDon Civil Ltd. and Chant Limited from Mississauga, Ontario will be managing the deck replacement of the bridge. The project is a joint venture.
The companies will reportedly replace the lift span’s bridge deck and restore the approach spans. But perhaps the most significant improvement will be the widening of the sidewalk of the bridge in order to allow more space for pedestrians and cyclists. The current sidewalks are particularly narrow.
Construction is slated for winter 2023, nearly a year and a half from now, during the bridge’s annual winter maintenance shutdown. It will not be finished until fall 2024.
First, the bridge deck will be replaced, during which time the bridge will be closed to all marine users, vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists for about three months. The waterway already closes annually for ships in the winter.
Once those refurbishments are done, the work on the bridge approaches and sidewalk widening will begin. The bridge will be fully operational to all users during that period of construction, although there will be lane closures. It is estimated that approximately 25,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day.
The bridge consists of two northbound lanes and two southbound lanes.
Burlington MP Karina Gould said that “the revitalization of the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge will ensure safe and accessible use for commercial and recreational needs for years to come.”
Her colleague Lisa Hepfner, MP for Hamilton Mountain, noted that the Lift Bridge is “a vital component of our Ontario shipping system,” a “picturesque alternative for motorists heading through Hamilton Harbour,” and an area of “irresistible appeal to many Lake Ontario photographers.” She continued by stating that upgrades will increase safety and ensure the integrity of the bridge into the future.
The announcement regarding bridge construction comes after a number of other press conferences. In January 2022, it was announced that the historic Burlington Canal Main Lighthouse and keeper’s cottage were changing hands from the federal government to the locally-administered Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA).
HOPA will be moving the lighthouse away from the bridge and restoring it in order to facilitate public access to the inside of the structure. That project is expected to start by the end of 2022.
More recently, it was announced in June 2022 that management of the Burlington Canal Piers will be turned over to HOPA. Piers along the Hamilton side and Burlington side of the Lift Bridge extend into the water, guiding ships into the canal and are regularly used by fishers and pedestrians. HOPA plans to make “safety improvements” to the piers and open them up for public access in spring 2023.
It remains unclear at this time what safety improvements will be made. The piers remain closed supposedly due to liability concerns. There is currently no barrier separating the edge of the piers from the water. It is presumed that HOPA will be adding fences.
Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Kevin Geenen reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on social media. He is a regular contributor with The Hamilton Independent and has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. He is known for Hamilton Neighbourhood Watch crime updates and no-nonsense news graphics. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal from Governor General David Johnston. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Note that the author of this article, Kevin Geenen, is running for Ward 5 City Council Hamilton (Gray Rd to Red Hill Parkway plus the Beach Strip).
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
