Work will begin this month on a $20.5-million upgrade of the southbound side of the Simon Fraser Bridge, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said Wednesday.
The upgrade will include a full deck replacement and strengthening of the truss. The bridge's north abutment will be replaced, which will increase the current underpass height restrictions and allow taller transport trucks to pass underneath as they travel along Queensway Street and Ferry Avenue.
Other work will include widening shoulders and replacing the existing railings on both sides of the bridge with crash-tested bridge barriers.
During construction, the crossing will be reduced to two-lane traffic using the northbound structure. Nearly 18,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily.
The original Simon Fraser Bridge was built in 1963 and, as part of Highway 97, serves the main north-south route through Prince George.
In 2009, the bridge was twinned, with the completion of an adjacent two-lane bridge bringing four-lane capacity to the crossing.
Prince George-based Ruskin Construction Ltd. Project has been awarded the contract and the work is scheduled for completion by late 2022.
