Officials from the Provincial Department of Transportation and Public Works have completed repairs to the Victoria Bridge, Route 116 in Victoria-By-The-Sea, and crews will re-open the bridge to light traffic beginning the afternoon of Friday, January 23. Departmental engineers made the decision to initiate temporary repairs on the bridge after consultations with the community.
“The community council was very clear that access across the Victoria Bridge be maintained for light traffic,” says Minister of Transportation and Public Works Ron MacKinley. “The bridge provides the safest access point into the community, so we felt repairs were necessary to help ensure the safety of drivers.”
The temporary repairs allow the bridge to handle light traffic like cars and vans. This will be especially important in the spring and early summer when tourism season gets underway. The full replacement of the bridge structure is tentatively scheduled for mid-to-late August.
“The community of Victoria-By-The-Sea depends on tourism over the spring and summer months,” adds Minister MacKinley. “That’s why we intend to begin construction of a new bridge once the busiest part of the tourist season has passed.”
The maximum gross vehicle weight now permitted on the bridge is 6500 kg, with a maximum axle weight of 4500 kg.