PROJECT UPDATE | JUNE 20, 2024
Bridge Construction enters Phase 2B
Author: Flood Mitigation Team
The Middlesboro Bridge Replacement project has progressed into Phase 2B. This phase includes several critical construction activities for the bridge and surrounding infrastructure. Key tasks in this phase include the driving of piles on both the north and south approaches, as well as the construction of the bridge both above and below ground.
Additionally, the project involves the placement of gravel, roadway paving, and embankment filling to strengthen and stabilize the area. Strategic riprap placement will be implemented to protect the structural integrity of the bridge against future environmental events.
As part of the improvements, the central pier and old bridge abutments will be demolished and removed. A comprehensive drainage system will also be installed to ensure effective water management. To enhance civic infrastructure, a multi-use pathway will be constructed, providing pedestrians with a safe and accessible route across the bridge.
The Middlesboro Bridge Replacement project remains on budget and on schedule for completion in the fall.
Current + Forecasted Construction
June 2024 Activities:
- Pile driving has been completed on both the north and south ends of the bridge. Eight piles have been excavated and cut to their final elevations, with rebar cages installed, and concrete infill poured. Mud Slabs (non-structural) have also been formed and concrete has been poured.
- Rebar installation of the reinforcing steel for the south abutment has begun.
- Prefabrication of abutment formwork panels has been completed, and installation of these panels on the south abutment is currently underway.
July 2024 Forecasted Activities:
- Completion of the installation of the reinforcing steel for the south abutment.
- Finalize the south abutment formwork and proceed with pouring the south abutment concrete. Once the concrete has set, the form panels will be reconditioned and transported to the north side. Backfill will then be placed around the south abutment.
- Construction of the north abutment will begin, starting with reinforcing steel installation.
- Demolition of the old south abutment will take place, and a crane ramp will be constructed in preparation for the girder installation.
The Flood Mitigation Team extends heartfelt thanks to all Rightsholders and Residents, City of Merritt staff, the Province of British Columbia, and all contractors involved in advancing Middlesboro Bridge Replacement project. Your patience, contributions, hard work and support is very much appreciated as we move this important milestone for our community closer to completion.
FIGURE 1 – EXCAVATING TO PILE CUT OFF
FIGURE 2 – SOUTH ABUTMENT FORMWORK
FIGURE 3 – NORTH ABUTMENT MUD SLAB
FIGURE 4 – SOUTH ABUTMENT REINFORCING STEEL
PROJECT UPDATE | SPRING 2024
Bridge Demolition in Progress
In preparation for the replacement Middlesboro Bridge on Voght Street, the remains of this flood-damaged bridge will be removed in spring 2024 with expected completion by the end of March. This includes the removal of the existing bridge deck and all abutments, as well as the asphalt between the Sani Dump and the bridge. This project also requires a temporary river diversion during demolition activities, and requires the delivery and storage of soils on site.
Required permits have been obtained after consultation with First Nations and the Province of BC.
Please stay out of the construction zone at all times. Please also do not contaminate or remove the soils required for construction.
Note that the Sani Dump will remain closed and inaccessible to the public until the bridge and road reopens in 2025. Other local sani-dump options are listed at merritt.ca/sanidump.
Voght Street | Middlesboro Bridge Design
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
Voght Street | Middlesboro Bridge Replacement
DESIGN ESTABLISHED | CONTRACT AWARDED | DEMOLITION IN PROGRESS
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023 | UPDATED MARCH 2024
The City of Merritt’s Middlesboro Bridge on Voght Street was destroyed in the November 2021 Flood, brought on by an unprecedented atmospheric river, ultimately causing millions of dollars in public and private property damages throughout southwestern BC and into inland areas such as the Coquihalla Highway, Highway 8, and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. In Merritt, the flood levels, exacerbated by a melting snowpack from the Coldwater headwaters, reached 2.5 times the previously predicted flood levels, destroying flood gauges and overcoming the diking system. The Coldwater River ultimately changed its course, undermining the Middlesboro Bridge and causing an irreparable collapse, leaving an enduring visible scar on the community.
The reparation of the bridge was beyond the capacity of this small community of over 7,000 people. After dealing with emergency operations and clean-up, the City began lobbying the provincial and federal governments for funding support. Thanks to $329,000 in funding from the Province of BC, the City was able to prepare a detailed Flood Mitigation Plan with conceptual engineering and cost estimates totalling over $167 million (presented March 2022; adopted November 2022). (The required funding amount is now updated to $109 million).
A detailed engineering proposal and cost estimate for the replacement of the Middlesboro Bridge was submitted in October 2022. In June 2023, the BC Ministry of Emergency Management & Climate Readiness approved $9,600,000 in funding to replace the Middlesboro Bridge on Voght Street.
The new bridge will be built to modern standards, at 1.5 meters higher than the original structure, capable of withstanding a one-in-200-year flood event and accommodating a 65% increase in water volume. The new bridge will also accommodate a more active transportation design, with a dedicated pedestrian and cyclist lane as well as two lanes of traffic.
The new double-lane bridge will also be a suspended single-span design (without a support pile or pier in the middle of the river) as it is more environmentally friendly, faster to build, and allows greater water flow in future water events. The original bridge had an undersized walkway and no cycling lane or shoulder.
“Recovering from a natural disaster is a long process of damage assessments, funding applications, design development and requests for proposals long before any construction can commence,” said Michael Goetz, mayor, City of Merritt. “While the City has been able to make a number of major repairs, seeing the scar of the missing Middlesboro Bridge has been a painful daily reminder of that harrowing event. I’d like to thank the Province for providing the funding to repair this important transportation link, which will not only ease transportation routes for our residents, but also revive our commercial corridors.”
Through the summer of 2023, the initial bridge design was completed and put out to contractors through the standard Request for Proposal (RFP) process. As of November 3, 2023, the design/build project has been awarded to Emil Anderson Construction with conceptual design drawings by Urban Systems. As of Spring 2024, detailed construction engineering has been established and demolition of the old bridge is commencing. Bridge construction will follow demolition in 2024, with expected completion planned for early 2025. Note: The Sani Dump will remain closed and inaccessible to the public until the bridge and road reopens in 2025.
The construction plan is detailed in the graphic below.
The Middlesboro Bridge reconstruction is one of several flood mitigation and restoration projects being funded by the Province for the City of Merritt, including rebuilding dikes and banks along the Coldwater River, road repairs, park restorations, water well restoration and a new running track.
About $12.2 million in Disaster Financial Assistance funding from the Province has already been approved for the City of Merritt since the floods of 2021, which were the most expensive natural disaster in B.C.’s history with catastrophic impacts to communities, the economy and critical infrastructure.
Additionally, the City of Merritt has been approved for more than $3.2 million from the Province’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund for flood-mitigation planning and infrastructure projects.
Reinforcement of Other City Bridges
While the Main Street and Houston Street bridges were undamaged in the 2021 flood, engineers recommended shoring up the river banks and the bridge footings. Work on reinforcement occurred during summer 2023.
