Removal of the “Road Closed” barricades was met with cheers as the Tower Street bridge re-opened here on Nov. 5.
Business owner Jackie Fraser, of Fraberts Fresh Foods, was among the dozen or so local residents cheering as the barricades were removed.
“I’m relieved; we’re just so grateful this is over,” said Fraser. “It’s been a tough year in downtown Fergus so this is a great day … just in time for Christmas.”
Wellington County’s project manager Mark Eby was pleased to announce the bridge opening.
“It has been eight months and 23 days since the bridge was closed to begin construction and with the hard work of the county’s contractor, McLean Taylor … and the hard work of the entire project team (McCormick Rankin Corporation, Triton Engineering Services, the Township of Centre Wellington and the County of Wellington) this has been an extremely successful project,” Eby said in a statement.
He added the project team would like to thank local businesses, residents and supporters of the project for their patience and cooperation throughout the entire project.
Eby said, “overall things went very well on this project.”
He noted the official end date in the contract was Oct. 31, but the county had allowed for Nov. 8 to provide “a week of grace.”
He explained, “We wanted to ensure this was completed before the Fergus Remembrance Day parade [which traditionally crosses the Tower Street bridge].
“Everything was pretty minor. It was a great project and I am glad it all came together.”
Eby added that because of the site being above the river and being on rock, even with all the rain this summer, the water drained away quickly.
“As a result, we didn’t lose any time because of the rain.”
