Long Sault Parkway West Gate Re-Opens !!
Candy Pollard

The St. Lawrence Parks Commission has announced that it has re-opened the WEST GATE of the Long Sault Parkway, as a result of successful temporary repairs made to the bridge. The West Gate was closed to all traffic on Friday, June 27, after an independent engineering assessment deemed it unsafe due to evidence of stress in the concrete “approach” slabs.

The Commission placed great urgency on assessing the situation, immediately calling in the Cornwall firm Thompson Rosemount Group, who had assisted with prior bridge inspections and repair, including the East Gate about two years ago. The Thompson Rosemount engineers worked with Commission staff and local firm, Frank Ault Construction, to direct the removal of the asphalt from the bridge in order to assess the underlying concrete. This immediately led to the temporary repairs, including excavation, backfilling for erosion, and re-grading.

In a letter dated July 9, Greg Esdale, Structural Engineer for the Thompson Rosemount Group stated that its review of the remedial work had been completed and that “It is our opinion that this work has been completed as outlined and that the bridge may be re-opened to normal traffic.” Following this inspection, the barricades were immediately removed and area campers, businesses and township officials were contacted with the good news.

“We are thrilled that we can now allow campers and residents to fully access the West Gate for entering and leaving the Long Sault campgrounds,” stated General Manager and CEO Pat Macdonald. “We appreciate the understanding of everyone, especially the Ingleside businesses which are nearby the West Gate. We worked very hard to address this problem as quickly as possible, as we recognize the inconvenience caused with only the East Gate open.

Ms. Macdonald noted that further repairs and significant upgrades to the bridge structure will be required, but that these will be delayed until after the current busy summer season.

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