Work on the Bala Falls bridge is set to proceed after Muskoka Lakes Township signed off on a $2.4 million contract with UrbanLink Civil Ltd.
Muskoka Lakes council agreed to the contract during their latest council meeting.
The Bala Falls Road bridge crosses the south channel of the outlet from Lake Muskoka into the Moon River in Bala.
Township staff said in 2020 that the bridge is in fair to poor condition with inadequate roadside safety measures, a posted load capacity restriction, concrete deterioration and erosion at the base of the piers.
The work includes the removal and replacement of the existing superstructure and the rehabilitation of the abutments and piers.
A full road closure will be in effect for the duration of the construction but local traffic will be able to access the road from either direction.
The project was planned on the basis of completing the work over two construction seasons. However, the contractor proposes to construct the project over a single construction season. Township staff said that would be advantageous, in that it minimizes the disruption to the community. It does however result in an acceleration of the expenditures relative to what was assumed in the current year’s budget.
This work’s been budgeted over two years within the 2022 and 2023 Capital Budgets. The total allocated budget for this project is $2.5 million, with $1.5 million allocated in 2022 and $1 million allocated in 2023.
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