THUNDER BAY — Canadian National Railway plans to make some repairs to the supporting structure beneath the James Street swing bridge.
CN plans to use barges to hold scaffolding that will allow a contractor to repair two concrete piers in the middle of the Kaministiquia River.
A railway spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for information Wednesday, but according to a community notice published by Fort William First Nation, the work is scheduled to begin on May 7 and take about a month to complete.
Cracked and scoured concrete will be removed, and new concrete will be applied, after which repairs will be done to steel at a bearing location.
All the work will be done above the water line, and the barge will be skirted so that it can catch any falling debris.
CN has indicated it does not anticipate any impact on navigation on the river, or traffic flow across the bridge, while the work is underway.
The last time repairs were made on the heavily-travelled bridge was last summer, when traffic was disrupted while new asphalt was laid down after numerous potholes formed.
