The City of Kawartha Lakes has announced the timelines for the full replacement of the Lake Dalrymple Bridge, including the closure of Kirkfield Road in the area of the bridge for six months from May to October.
The bridge was built around 1970 out of timber with a concrete deck. Although it was rehabilitated around 1990, the bridge has reached the end of its service life and needs to be replaced due to continued deterioration of wood, concrete, and asphalt, as well as erosion. The municipality has allocated $4.7 million in capital funding for the bridge replacement.
As the bridge structure type and geometry is not conducive to the standard approach to construction, where half the bridge is closed for work and the other half remains open to traffic, the road needs to closed for replacement of the bridge.
The bridge replacement will result in long detours using Lake Dalrymple Road to County Road 45 in the north, and Kirkfield Road to Brechin Road and County Road 47 in the south.
To reduce speeding on Lake Dalrymple Road and improve safety for residents, temporary speed humps will be installed on the road. An alternate detour route for truck traffic will be in place to reduce pressure on the road.
With increased traffic, the condition of detour roadways will be assessed before and after the bridge construction, with repairs completed as needed to restore the roadways to their original or improved state.
To mitigate the impact of the bridge closure on emergency services, paramedic units will be dispatched using the coordinated automatic dispatch system, which automatically assigns the closest response units based on real-time road conditions and detours.
As needed, Simcoe County Paramedic Service from the Township of Ramara and Region of Durham Paramedic Service will supplement paramedic response coverage during the bridge closure.
Township of Ramara Fire Services will assist in providing fire protection services to the portion of the municipality impacted by the bridge closure.
Construction preparation will take place during the week of May 19, when the contractor will mobilize equipment and prepare the site. During this time, sections of Kirkfield Road may be reduced to one lane with flagging operations.
From May 26 to October 24, Kirkfield Road will be closed to all traffic while the bridge is removed and replaced. Detour signage will be installed at least two weeks in advance of the closure. Access to the public boat launch west of the bridge will be maintained.
After the bridge has been reopened to traffic, final work will be completed between October 24 and November 25. During this period, sections of Kirkfield Road may be reduced to one lane with flagging operations.
For updates during the construction project, visit www.kawarthalakes.ca/majorprojects.
