Parks Canada has announced that the Maria Street Swing Bridge in Peterborough will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily from Monday, April 20 through to Friday, April 24.
While the bridge will be closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic during these hours, it will remain open daily before 9 a.m. and after 2:30 p.m.
According to a media release from Parks Canada, the temporary daily closures are required for regular maintenance of the bridge before the opening of the navigation season this spring and to help plan for the future replacement of the 61-year-old bridge.
Specifically, the closures are needed to safely complete annual bridge cleaning operations and routine inspection to maintain the structure and ensure continued safe use, for additional surveying and inspection of the structure to inform the fabrication and installation of the future replacement bridge, and for any minor repairs and maintenance measures identified during the inspections.
A planned complete replacement of the Maria Street Swing Bridge is part of Parks Canada’s multi-year infrastructure project currently underway along the Trent-Severn Waterway in Peterborough that also includes rehabilitation of earth dams along the canal and sealing of leaks in the Peterborough Lift Lock.
For the temporary closures, Parks Canada will be installing closure and detour signage, and encourages residents and visitors to plan ahead and use alternate routes during closure hours.
Alternate routes include the tunnel under the Peterborough Lift Lock that connects Ashburnham Drive with Hunter Street East, McFarlane Street that connects Ashburnham Drive with Armour Road, Parkhill Road East (via the Warsaw Road Swing Bridge), and Lansdowne Street.
Due to load and clearance limitations, trucks over five tonnes cannot use the Peterborough Lift Lock tunnel or the McFarlane Street bridge.
Pedestrians and cyclists can head south to Beavermead Park to access the Rotary Trail or north to the Peterborough Lift Lock tunnel.
