Engineer: four bridges need immediate work

A new engineer’s report should help the township council when making future decisions about bridge maintenance or replacement - and some of those choices are needed sooner rather than later.

“You do have four structures that are in the high priority [category],” Helen Jenkins told council last week.

A bridge engineer with R.J. Burnside and Associates, Jenkins explained that those four structures need “fairly immediate” work.

She explained that she is unsure how the township wants to prioritize those bridges, but said that her company would operate on the advice of council.

Arunas Kalinauskas,  a manager at R.J. Burnside, explained “it’s better to do preventative maintenance” to extend the life of bridges, and save money over the long run.

Mayor Bruce Whale asked if 80 years is the longest the township can expect new bridges to last, despite all the quality assurances now in place.

Jenkins replied that 100 years would be a “reasonable” life cycle for new bridges now.

Whale said once councillors have time to read the lengthy bridge report and have Public Works Director Larry Lynch explain the details, that report will become a useful tool in deciding to repair or replace bridges, which Whale called “an important part of our infrastructure.”