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MATTAWA, Ont. — Mayor Dean Backer says restoring important infrastructure links to full capacity in Mattawa after devastating flooding is a top priority and the completion of the most extensive project is on the horizon.
"Work will commence in the coming weeks to make sure this bridge is safe," for full traffic capacity "and we're looking at October as a best-case scenario for completion," for the Pont Mauril Belanger Bridge, says Backer.
In May, Mattawa council awarded a survey contract to Tulloch Engineering via Dillon Consulting to monitor the bridge for six to 12 weeks.
"We're allowing heavy load trucks to go through and we're monitoring it," says Backer of the current status of the project.
The bridge connects Mattawa's downtown to Highway 533 and was damaged during the flooding in spring 2019. It was renamed in honour of the late Mauril Bélanger, former area MP and spans the confluence of the Ottawa and Mattawa rivers.
With the bridge at reduced (or zero) capacity in the past year-plus, Backer says the shipping lines for industry, especially Rayonnier, in Temiscaming, Que., have been affected. Also, residents of the towns on the north side of the bridge faced a much longer trip to amenities in North Bay as the damaged bridge is the only way across by vehicle.
"It was a 55-kilometre detour if you had to go to the hospital in North Bay by 533 and 63," observes Backer, adding since the bridge has been cleared to handle alternating traffic in one lane, the strain has lessened.
At its most recent (virtual) meeting of the whole, the Council of the Town of Mattawa authorized the payment of invoices due in the total amount of $62,449.09 for the Pont Mauril Belanger Bridge emergency repairs. Staff will claim these expenses to the MDRA Flood Claim and the MTO Connecting Link Funding program as required for reimbursement of these expenses.
Council also discussed the tender process for the remainder of the construction work on the bridge. The project is ready to be advertised now the consultants have prepared the tender documents. They will be posted on the municipal website and Dillon Consulting will circulate the document to several contracting firms who specialize in bridge repairs. Sealed tenders will be accepted until Tuesday, July 14, at 2:00 p.m. and a public tender opening is scheduled for the same day at 3:00 p.m.
Backer says work should be completed by October but the tender specifications do give the project some leeway with construction anticipated to begin no later than August 10, with a "substantial completion date" of November 15.
See related story: Mattawa bridge gets funding after 'taking a pounding' during 2019 flooding
The Town of Mattawa will contribute $100,000 of its share and this amount is proposed to be included in the budget for this year. The balance will be budgeted in the 2021 fiscal year.
According to council documents, the cost of the repairs will be funded at 90 per cent through the Ministry of Transportation Connecting Links funding to an upset limit of $1,281,260.16. Total eligible funding is $1,423,622.40 which includes the municipality’s ten percent share of $143,362.24.
Mayor Backer adds, "Unfortunately, one lane is a bit of an inconvenience for now. That's our only link from one part of town to the other but people have accepted it. If they can be patient a little while longer, the refurbished bridge should be good for 40 years."
