Girder fatigue found under Fischells bridge

Traffic flow on the Fischells River Bridge along the Trans-Canada Highway has been temporarily reduced to one lane.

Tom Hedderson, transportation and works minister, said fatigue was noticed on one of the structure's girders during a recent regular inspection.

"And basically, we always err on the side of caution, so we put it down to one lane and called in our chief bridge engineer who was out [on March 18]," he said.

Minister Hedderson said the engineer would be calling an emergency tender and repairs are expected within the next two weeks.

The province's long-term plan is to have the bridge replaced.

"It is a bridge that was put there in 1956," said the minister. "We have been monitoring it for a while and we know it's time to replace it. So basically, the design is now being done as we speak."

He said the new bridge would hopefully be completed as quickly as possibly within this year's construction season.

Motorists are asked to use caution and to reduce their speed in the area of the bridge, which is approximately 16 km west of the intersection with Route 403 to Flat Bay.

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