Damaged LaSalle Causeway bridge will be demolished

UPDATE | PSPC said pedestrian and cyclist crossings ended the morning of June 5. There was no update on the replacement timeline.

A century-old Bascule bridge that makes up part of Kingston's LaSalle Causeway will have to be demolished, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).

The bridge was damaged on March 30 and has remained closed to vehicles since. On Wednesday, PSPC announced it had conducted a laser survey of the span and concluded it's necessary to scrap it.

The survey found the bridge has displaced and misaligned elements that would have extended the repair work and that its remaining life has been "significantly reduced."

"Demolishment means removing the entire existing bridge structure from the navigation channel," wrote Kingston and the Islands MP Mark Gerretsen on Facebook yesterday, adding the crossing's age was another factor weighed in the decision.

"This will require both an interim (temporary modular bridge) and long-term replacement (new moveable bridge) solution," he said.

He added the department will be issuing two requests for proposals: one for the demolition of the bridge and another for a replacement.

PSPC said it believes demolition work can begin early next week, which would end the temporary pedestrian access that began two weeks ago.

It predicted the channel will reopen for marine navigation in early July. It did not provide a timeline for the temporary modular bridge for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.

"We're hurrying [the process] as much as possible … Once we know the contractor we'll be able to determine and inform the people in the community how fast and how that will be done in the next few weeks," Minister of Public Services and Procurement Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters Wednesday.

The 'singing bridge'

The causeway is an important link between downtown Kingston and the city's eastern suburbs. Roughly 23,000 vehicles cross it every day.

Part of the crossing is Bascule bridge, which uses a heavy counterweight to lift and allow boats through. PSPC said a steel truss that supports the weight was damaged while work was underway to fix it.

Some in the city referred to it as the "singing" or "humming" bridge because of the sound it makes when vehicles drive over it.

In the comments under his Facebook post, Gerretsen said he was "trying to imagine my daily drive home without" that sound.

The causeway been shut down to vehicles since March 30, after a section that lifts the counterweight to let boats through was damaged. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

Residents have been waiting for updates and wondering what will become of the bridge for weeks, while enduring traffic congestion at other crossings in the city, especially during rush hour.

Tour boat companies with vessels trapped on the wrong side of the causeway have been pushing the government for solutions. One operator previously told CBC it was forced to cancel cruises costing the him more than $350,000.

Workers examine parts of the LaSalle Causeway in Kingston on May 9, 2024. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

On May 15, the causeway reopened to pedestrians, the first traffic allowed across it in more than a month.

At the time, PSPC said it was looking at making repairs in a phased approach, with a timeline of seven to nine weeks, barring any unforeseen issues.

The department had indicated demolishing the bridge was one of the options it was considering, though said that would take around 12-14 weeks, plus another four to six weeks in November to set up a temporary bridge for road traffic once the marine season was over.