Construction of a modernized $42.8-million bridge and revamped access route on Highway 49 at Watino is expected to be completed by the fall of 2009. “The new bridge and road are still on schedule and are to be completed and fully operational to accept traffic by Oct. 15, 2009,” says Donald Saunders, Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation’s bridge manager for the Peace region. “The bridge deck will be finished in the summer/early fall of 2009 along with the new road, which will also be completed at that time.” Paving of the new road, meanwhile, is planned for the summer of 2009. Work on the project began Aug. 8 of last year as part of a significant upgrade which, upon completion, will result in a much more driver-friendly bridge structure. The tender for the multi-million dollar infrastructure improvement project was awarded by the province to Kiewit Management Co. based in Edmonton, which continues to make steady progress at the site. “As of July 30 the contractor is constructing temporary berms in the river to construct the remaining two piers,” says Saunders, adding that pier construction is expected be completed by the fall to early winter of 2008. “The contractor will then erect the remaining girders in the early winter of 2009.” Initial work on the bridge replacement project included site mobilization, landscaping, earth fill work on the north side of the Smoky River and head slope stabilization. A total of four concrete piers measuring 18 metres wide at the base by 13 metres high are being used to form a trapezoid shape to support the bridge decking. The piers will be mobilized using steel pilings that are driven into the bedrock below the river. Two of the piers were transported to the site last fall for installation with the remaining piers being installed on the south side of the river later this summer. The new bridge is to be constructed of steel girders with a ‘cast in place’ concrete deck and asphalt driving surface and will represent a marked improvement for motorists using the highway to access communities to the northwest once completed. “Sight lines for drivers will be greatly enhanced,” Saunders notes, adding that overall driving surface dimensions are increasing to meet current roadway infrastructure standards. That includes the road width which is changing from the current width of 7.3 metres to 11 metres with each driving lane having a width of 3.7 metres in addition to a 1.8 metre shoulder on each side. “The existing roadway is barely sufficient to safely accommodate two vehicles driving in opposite directions,” Saunders adds. Saunders says a good portion of the road grading is now complete, adding there’s still some work to be done next year, including realignment of the access road to the Hamlet of Watino and other final grading work. The bridge itself will be higher than the existing structure, closely mirroring similar bridge decking structures located at the Smoky River east of Bezanson and the Little Smoky River south of Guy. It will also result in a new alignment with the highway from both the south and north. The contractor has until September 15, 2010, to demolish and remove the old bridge and final clean-up of the site. The existing bridge – completed in 1950 at a cost of $841,000 – will be disassembled and removed from the site by Sept. 15 of 2010.