Final phase of repairs set to begin under Whoop-Up Drive bridge

After months of planning and preparation, major repairs under the Whoop-Up Drive bridge are set to start. On August 6, a flatbed trailer carrying heavy equipment hit the bottom of the bridge, damaging four of six steel girders. Two were badly damaged. The repairs required extensive planning and coordination.

“This repair has demanded a high level of coordination and expertise,” says Joel Sanchez, Director of Infrastructure Services. “We’ve planned every step - from getting the right materials to hiring trained contractors - to make sure the job is done right the first time.”

The repairs involve minor traffic impacts and all speed limits that were implemented on October 10 will remain unchanged for the duration of this work. The weight reduction also remains in place for westbound traffic.

The repairs will follow this schedule, weather permitting:

• November 10: Erect shoring towers under the bridge. Botterill Bottom Road South will be closed to the public for the duration of all repairs.
• November 12 – 18: Repair girder 3 (under lane 3). Current traffic measures remain in place.
• November 20 – 27: Repair girder 2. Lane 2 will close and lane 3 will reopen. This maintains two westbound lanes. When this repair is complete, all three westbound lanes are open.
• November 28 – December 10: Repair girder 4. Lane 4 remains closed. When this repair is complete, all three eastbound lanes are open.
• December 10 – 12: Repair girder 1. No lane closures are required for this repair.

Work is scheduled on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Based on this schedule, all repairs are expected to be completed by Friday, December 12.

Some of the challenges faced in managing this repair include:

• Limited number of contractors in Canada qualified to perform this work
• Many required materials are not readily available
• Multiple contractors are working together to complete the repair
• The project required pre-qualification and the workers received specialized training and certification
• Electrical wires and conduits run under girder 4, requiring additional planning and training
• Crews performed some pre-fabrication work off-site and have already completed mock repairs to ensure they make the final fix correctly and safely the first time

“This project has always prioritized public safety and asset integrity over speed of repairs,” says Sanchez. “We have done our best to move the project forward as quickly as possible, while maintaining the best and safest traffic flow across the bridge. We appreciate the public’s patience, and we’re excited to see a light at the end of this construction tunnel.”

For Public Inquiries:
Call or chat 311 | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.