The Knight Street Bridge has been undergoing construction since March as TransLink works to rehabilitate the major crossing between Vancouver and Richmond.
The bridge, spanning 1.4 km across the North Arm of the Fraser River, is one of five owned and operated by the transit agency, including the Pattullo, Westham Island, Golden Ears, and the Canada Line Bike and Pedestrian Bridge. Four of the five crossings are currently under active repair and maintenance to maintain their safety and reliability.
The Knight Street Bridge opened in 1974 and is crossed by over 100,000 vehicles every weekday. The three-fold rehabilitation project is expected to continue into December 2023 as they work to replace the original bearings, repave, and replace the railings.
The bearing replacement is underway and is projected to continue until the end of summer but doesn't impact lanes on the bridge.
However, "the pavement rehabilitation work began last week and is expected to last until late fall," TransLink tells V.I.A. "The rehab work is weather permitting and does require overnight single-lane closures; at least one lane will be open on the bridge in both directions at all times while this construction is underway."
Pavement rehabilitation will close lanes
The pavement work involves milling and repaving the top layer of the concrete bridge deck with polyester polymer concrete (PPC) overlay to prevent future corrosion.
Weather permitting, single-lane closures will occur in both directions between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekdays, 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends and holidays, and vehicle width restrictions of 3.8 metres will be in place for commercial vehicles.
Drivers planning to cross the bridge this summer should plan to leave themselves more time in case of traffic slow-downs.
The work is expected to finish in late fall 2023 and then railing replacement will begin.
Railing replacement will affect cyclists
TransLink is replacing the railing separating vehicle lanes from the sidewalk on the Knight St. Bridge to provide more separation between vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.
The work may require sidewalk closures and people looking to cross the bridge on foot or a bike will be detoured to the opposite side of the bridge throughout construction.
"We thank bridge users for their patience as we work to ensure this vital crossing remains safe and reliable for years to come," says TransLink.
