HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-07-154 - Bridge Condition Assessment & Remediation Program~R ..~.
Developmen~&
Technical Services
Report To: Councillor C. Weylie and Members of the Development and
Technical Services Committee
Date of Meeting: September 24, 2007
Submitted By: Grant Murphy, P.Eng., Director of Engineering Services
Prepared By: Steve Allen, P. Eng., Manager, Design and Approvals
Wards} Involved: All
Date of Report: September 19, 2007
Report No.: DTS 07-154
Subject: BRIDGE CONDITION ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIATION
PROGRAM
RECOMMENDATION:
Information only.
BACKGROUND
On August 1St 2007, the Interstate 35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis,
Minnesota collapsed. The structure was built in 1967 and was a steel deck truss bridge. As a
result of this tragic event the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has ordered an
inspection of all steel deck truss bridges on the provincial highway system and has encouraged
all municipalities to do the same. Engineering Services wishes to inform the Committee that the
City of Kitchener owns and maintains a variety of bridges, however none are the type which
collapsed in Minnesota. All City owned bridges are inspected every two years as mandated by
provincial legislation and repaired as required. The intent of this report is to provide an overview
of the bridge condition assessment and remediation program that is completed by the City.
COMMUNICATION
None
REPORT:
In Ontario bridges are regulated under Regulation 104/97 of the Public Transportation and
Highway Improvement Act. Under the Act any structure with a span of 3.Om or greater is
considered a bridge which includes vehicular bridges, pedestrian bridges and concrete culverts.
The City of Kitchener's 80 bridges are inspected every two years in accordance with provincial
legislation. As a result of these inspections, a work program is developed and incorporated into
the City's Capital Budget. The most recent bi-annual bridge inspection program was completed
in the fall of 2006. The next bi-annual inspection on City owned bridges will be in 2008.
Allowances in the capital budget have been made to fund these inspections.
In accordance with the legislation, the inspection program consists of a visual inspection of each
structure element under the direction of a Professional Engineer. The condition of each element
and any noted performance deficiencies and maintenance needs are recorded on standard
forms developed by the MTO. Recommendations derived from the inspections include follow-
upinvestigations, routine maintenance, or structural repairs. Typical repairs that may be
completed on the structures include (but not limited to) concrete/steel removal and replacement
of the deck and support structure, expansion joint/seal replacement, bearing replacement,
fencing/guardrail replacement and deck water-proofing replacement.
Major repairs have been completed on the following bridges, or are planned for repair (2003-
2010) as a result of the inspection program:
STRUCTURE YEAR APPROXIMATE
COST
Margaret Avenue bridge over CP railway 2003 1.OM
Wilson Avenue brill e over CN railwa 2005 1.OM
Lawrence Avenue culvert over the Henry Sturm
Greenwa 2005 90K
Pioneer Drive brill e over Schneider Creek 2006 70K
Pedestrian Brill e over Hw 7l8 Phase 1 2007 50K
Ston brook culvert over the Voisin Greenwa 2007 250K*
FUTURE WORKS
Pedestrian Brill e over Hw 7l8 Phase 2 2008 500K
Hayward Avenue Bridge over Schneider Creek 2009 320K
Balzer Road Brill a over Mont omer Creek 2009 25K
Overland Drive Bridge 2010 330K
* project is funded in part by COMRIF
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
N/A
CONCLUSION:
The City adheres to the provincial regulation that governs bridge safety (Ont. Regulation
104/97) and on an annual basis, budgets for the inspection and remediation to ensure
compliance and public safety.
K. Grant Murphy, P. Eng.
Director, Engineering Services
Steve Allen, P.Eng.
Manager, Design and Approvals