MAPLETON – A “significant” asphalt failure on both sides of Bosworth Bridge on Wellington Road 7 led officials to close it at 5:30pm on Feb. 24.
That’s according to Wellington County councillor Earl Campbell, who delegated during a Mapleton council meeting on Feb. 25.
“In the interest of safety, it was closed,” he said.
Campbell’s delegation was regarding general updates from the county and highlights of the budget, but the county councillor began his delegation by addressing what he referred to as “the elephant in the room” – the closure of the Bosworth bridge.
“Approximately 400 square metres of asphalt on the east and west approaches need to be removed,” Campbell said, noting there was an excavator on site on the evening of Feb. 25 and the work was set to begin on the morning of Feb. 26.
“They’ll be ripping out the asphalt for that area,” he said. “They’ll be putting in very course … drainage stone to reaffirm the base – compact it – and they’ll be repaving that area, hopefully on Friday.
“So the intent is to have the bridge open by the weekend or midway through the weekend, depending on how the weather cooperates,” Campbell said.
The Bosworth Bridge was a single span, simply supported steel pony truss constructed in 1949.
Looby Builders Ltd. replaced the bridge last year, and it reopened after replacement in December, with carry-over work scheduled for spring of this year.
The bridge is set to be closed again in spring for that work to be completed.
