This morning (March 29), a government release warned another round of repairs is about to begin on the bridge that joins the downtown core to North and West Vancouver. Starting early April, expect delays that will last eight weeks.
This time, however, the province has promised it won’t let a bump slow down traffic to the extent the bump did last summer.
“Acknowledging the traffic delays which occurred in August 2015 as a result of the Lions Gate ‘bump’, the ministry has developed a comprehensive plan to keep traffic moving smoothly during this renewal work,” reads a Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure media release.
“The plan involves installing a temporary bridge cover and two 13-metre approach ramps on either side, so the drive remains smooth for all motorists,” it continues. “As a result, there will be no ‘bump’, so the flow of traffic will remain efficient and delays minimized.”
Construction of the temporary structure is scheduled to take place this weekend (April 2-3), resulting in a single-lane closure from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and then a two-lane closure from 10:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. the morning of April 3.
The actual rehabilitation project will begin shortly after. It consists of $1.1 million in repairs to replace a south tower expansion joint that has exceeded the term of its design life.
The so-called bump that slowed traffic through August 2015 was actually a 4.5-centimetre-thick plate of steel that was placed at the bridge’s south end as part of rehabilitation work that focused on another expansion joint.
The release notes that since 2001, the province has spent $26.4 million on rehabilitation and repairs on the Lions Gate Bridge.
