Temporary Lasalle Causeway bridge performs first lift

LaSalle Causeway

Last Updated on October 16, 2024 by YGK News Staff

Two weeks after the installation of a temporary bridge allowed the Lasalle Causeway to be open to vehicular traffic for the first time in 6 months, the causeway will be closed on Tuesday until midnight as the temporary modular bridge was moved at 9 am on Tuesday to allow marine navigation from noon to 9 PM.

The City of Kingston directed travelers to use planned detours, and announced that service levels on Kingston Transit’s 601/602 and Route 12A would replace Route 12 during Tuesday’s closure.

The construction of the modular bridge, as well as its removal and reinstallation, is handled by Priestly Demolition Inc., who also were contracted to complete the demolition of the old Lasalle Causeway structure.

While Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) announced a goal of September 30 to reopen the causeway to vehicular and pedestrian traffic, the construction lasted from September 19 to October 30.

The temporary modular bridge that has been built is a 2-lane prefabricated truss bridge that sits on the existing abutments of the old structure.

Priestly uses a hydraulic system mounted onto a floating barge to remove and re-install the temporary bridge, and the process takes roughly 3 hours to remove the span and an additional 3 hours to reinstall it.

While Tuesday’s move was completed without incident opening the channel to marine traffic as of noon, being able to complete the operation is subject to weather conditions.

“Favourable marine conditions are required for the removal and reinstallation of the modular bridge,” a statement from PSPC reads.

“Should unfavourable marine conditions, such as moderate to high winds, be forecasted or observed on this day, the work will be postponed.”

Some stakeholders still question the temporary solution given the fact that it is so dependent on weather conditions.

Marc Ackert, captain of the Kawartha Voyageur cruise ship, says he and others who rely on accessing the marine channel continue to question whether the solution currently in place was the right one to land on.

Ackert says he believes there could have been a simpler solution, and he’s not sure what information is being used to make these decisions.

“Something simpler, not so cumbersome and weather dependent,” Ackert said.

“If people are to book a limited time slot in their travels and it happens to be a windy day… screwed… I keep tapping into the camera system on the Waabaan thinking is this data being used for decisions? What information is being used to make decisions?”

The bridge is scheduled to be removed and reinstalled once more before in 2024, with a closure planned for November 16 from 9 AM to midnight once again.

As of now removal dates for 2025 have not been determined.