Mapleton places four bridges on Sideroad 17 under load restriction

The township has placed a two tonne load restriction on four bridges on Sideroad 17.

Council approved a staff recommendation at the Feb. 10 meeting to place the load restrictions on the bridges, which are located between Glen Allan and the 12th Line of Mapleton.

In a report to council, public works director Brad McRoberts noted a 2014 bridge inspection report from R. J. Burnside engineers, presented to council on Jan. 27, recommends closure of the four bridges, “or if closure is not possible, instituting a reduced load limit of two tonnes for each structure until the structures can either be permanently closed or replaced.”

An estimate provided in the report indicates the construction cost, not including engineering and other variables,  of replacing the four bridges would be about $1.75 million.

Three of the bridges are on no-winter maintenance roads and the restriction will limit use to primarily passenger type vehicles and prohibit heavy equipment, commercial vehicles, school buses, emergency vehicles and township plow equipment.

McRoberts told council the one bridge not located on a seasonal roadway could be “problematic” and a contractor with a smaller vehicle would likely be needed to clear the bridge of snow.

The bridge report can be viewed on the township’s website.