Duane Hicks
As part of its five-year rehabilitation plan for the Noden Causeway, the Ministry of Transportation is planning to continue with Phase II of the work this summer and fall.
MTO regional director Larry Lambert said Friday that the next phase of Noden Causeway rehabilitation will continue with repairs to a portion of the 1,100 steel piles that support the three structures to address corrosion below the waterline.
The repair will utilize a unique polymer collaring system that will encapsulate the corroded portion of the pile.
“This type of work will have little effect on public traffic, with no lane reductions,” he noted.
This represents somewhat of a change from last summer and fall, which saw speed reductions and alternating one-lane traffic due to the nature of the work being done.
Work completed last year included new concrete deck panels on the 138-metre east low level portion, complete with new expansion joints and a metal railing system.
The pre-cast concrete deck panels were an innovative approach, whereby they were “glued” on top of the existing deck—eliminating the more expensive and time-consuming process of conventional deck removal and asphalt paving.
While this year will focus on steel pile repairs, future work will entail deck and superstructure reconstruction of the 552-metre long west low level structure as well as the 614-metre long high level structure.
The work will be similar to that carried out last year on the east low level structure.
The provincial government last year committed to reconstruct the entire Noden Causeway over five years.
Work on the causeway first began in 1958 and it was opened in 1965.
It was rehabilitated in the 1980s with new barrier walls and joints. But in recent years, the causeway has demonstrated drainage problems, as well as poor pavement and joint conditions.
