Burlington Canal Lift Bridge contract awarded

The federal government has awarded a $9.4-million contract to The State Group Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario to replace key components in the  Burlington Canal Lift Bridge.

The four-lane bridge spans the Burlington Bay Canal, which connects Lake Ontario to the Port of Hamilton. The bridge is not only a highway link between Burlington and Hamilton for daily commuters, but its lift function allows both commercial marine and pleasure craft traffic to move freely between Lake Ontario and the Port of Hamilton.

Since 1962, the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge has been operated more than 200,000 times, allowing the passage of over 340,000 vessels. On a yearly basis, the bridge is operated approximately 4,000 times, allowing around 6,500 vessels to pass through the canal, including more than 1,000 cargo-carrying vessels.

The bridge is a local route for commercial and non-commercial vehicles travelling between the east side of Burlington and Hamilton and is used by cyclists and pedestrians as well. It is also the shortest alternative route for traffic on the Queen Elizabeth Way when the Burlington Skyway Bridge is closed.

The installation of the new drives, controls and overhead cables will be completed during regularly scheduled winter shutdown periods, allowing the bridge to serve marine traffic normally during the navigation season.

Construction will take place over winter 2015 and winter 2016 during the regular periods of closure for the Burlington Canal. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2016.