$1M rehab to extend life of Lamorie Street bridge up to 20 years

An important transportation link in North Bay's south end feared in recent years to be nearing the end of its viability could instead see its useful life extended another 15 to 20 years through rehabilitation this summer.

North Bay City Council will vote during Tuesday's regular meeting on the approval of a $1,070,549 contract to KB Civil Constructors Inc. for the rehabilitation of the Lamorie Street Bridge. According to the associated staff report, "The bridge requires immediate attention. If repairs are postponed any longer, major rehabilitation will be required which will increase the scope and cost significantly or the bridge will need to be closed off to traffic."

See related: Lamorie Street bridge continues to deteriorate, City to study its options

In 2019, the outlook for the deteriorating bridge that crosses the Lavase River and Ottawa Valley Railway was so grim there was talk it might be more financially responsible to put the bridge out of service rather than pay to repair — or worse, replace it.

"Four or five or six years ago, it looked like we were getting ready to replace or remove the bridge," located north of the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Pinewood Park Drive on Lamorie Street, said Coun. Chris Mayne in March. "But, the engineering studies have given us promising returns."

In 2019, Towards Sustainable Infrastructure (TSI) Inc was awarded an $87,000 contract to perform a bridge condition assessment and a detailed analysis for the structural rehabilitation or replacement of the Lamorie Street bridge. "The assessment came back and it is in better shape than we thought," noted Adam Lacombe, an engineer with the City of North Bay during budget meetings earlier this year.

See also: Lamorie St. bridge closing for inspection

"Inspections performed on the structure reveal the bridge structure is showing signs of delamination, spalling and disintegration to some components as well as
exposed rebar and rust spots," the report reads. "Based on the findings of the study, it was identified that the preferred rehabilitation/replacement alternative would be a minor rehabilitation including concrete patchwork and crack injections to the deck, waterproofing and paving, replacing expansion joint elastomeric strip seals, and replacing the steel railing system which would extend the service life of the bridge by 15-20 years."

See: New life for the Lamorie Street bridge

The City of North Bay evaluated three submissions and the bid from KB Civil Constructors Inc. was the lowest bid, deemed to be fair and reasonable while providing the best overall value. "It is projected that an additional $239,000 in funding is required to complete the project, including the balance of the contract, non-rebated HST, consulting fees, etc.," per the report.

In 2019, Mayne, then serving as the chair of council's infrastructure and operations committee noted, “It is a bridge that is still well used in the community, but the study will determine the viability of its ongoing operation and potential costs for rehabilitation.

"Certainly, for the businesses in the area, it is important. And if we’re trying to encourage economic development in that industrial park, it is used as another access to the highway so there is value to it. The challenge is what value do you place on that additional service?”

Coun. Mac Bain was of the opinion then it was not worth pouring millions of dollars into the bridge.

“This project has been in and out of our capital forecast a number of times. The last time I believe was three or four years ago and it was $9 million to replace the bridge back then. And yes, there are vehicles that do transition over that bridge, but it is not $9 million worth."

It would be a project council would be reluctant to take on even with partner funding from the provincial and federal governments, even with all three levels of government each paying one-third of the cost, said Mayne then. He observed closing the bridge would require rerouting traffic down Booth Road.