Bridge reconstruction tender comes in under budget
WELLINGTON COUNTY – The work to rehabilitate a small Wellington Road 16 bridge that crosses Irvine Creek about 6km north of Wellington Road 19 in Centre Wellington is expected to cost $980,000.
Work consists of removal of concrete posts, railing and asphalt on the bridge and the installing of new concrete parapet walls with railing, a new steel beam guardrail leading to the bridge, and reconstruction of immediate approaches.
According to county roads manager Joe de Koning, the bridge was identified for rehabilitation through structural assessments occurring every two years.
“The rehabilitation addresses structural and safety deficiencies related to the bridge,” de Koning stated in an email.
Out of seven quotes submitted to the county from 34 bid takers (including two county-based companies), Kitchener-based Engineered Concrete Ltd. came in with the least expensive at $724,992 — $147,796 lower than the most expensive quote for the job.
Other costs – including previously incurred engineering and design fees ($96,000), expected additional engineering consultant fees ($65,000), internal labour and materials ($6,000), and a $75,000 contingency – bring the total to $980,000.
That’s under the $1.35 million originally earmarked for the project in the county’s 2022 capital budget.
Canada Community Building Fund dollars (formerly the Gas Tax Fund) will cover $900,000 of the total cost with the remaining $80,000 coming from the tax levy.
Wellington Road 16 near the bridge will be closed during the project and a detour route hasn’t yet been approved by Centre Wellington as of March 8.
The committee's recommendation will go to county council at its March 31 meeting, and should council approve the tender award, the project is anticipated to begin mid-May with completion in late August.
