Vehicles will not be able to drive on a bridge linking the Old City Quarter to downtown Nanaimo for at least six weeks.
According to a city press release issued Thursday, the Bastion Street Bridge will be closed to motor vehicle traffic between May 21 and June 28 for maintenance work, that includes replacing the concrete deck and seismic upgrades. In addition to upgrades, the city is also planning on installing decorative signs with wayfinding panels on the bridge and coloured panels between the bridge’s piers.
Maintenance work will begin March 25 and end in late August.
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As a result of the closure, the Regional District of Nanaimo’s bus transit exchange is expected to be temporarily moved to 1 Port Dr. on April 8 and will remain there until the end of August, the press release notes.
“The last major upgrade of the bridge took place over 40 years ago, in 1978. This major upgrade will extend the life of the bridge by 20 to 30 years,” said Phil Stewart, the city’s manager of engineering projects, in the release.
Bastion Street Bridge, which was built in 1936, will remain open to pedestrian traffic during the six-week period when it is closed to vehicle traffic.
