Part of 5th Avenue flyover shut down for months after corrosion discovered

One lane of the Fifth Avenue flyover heading north over the Bow Riverout of downtown Calgary will be closed for months starting Friday, after corrosionwas discovered to be affecting the structural integrity on a portion of the bridge.

The closure affects a portion of one of the middle lanes.

"During a recent inspection by a structural engineering firm, we found that there was corrosion in one section of the bridge resulting in impacts to the capacity of the structure," saidCharmaine Buhler,the city's bridge maintenance manager.

"As a result of thatand out of an abundance of caution, we will be closing a portion of one lane, the centre lanes of the flyover, until we can repair it in the spring."

Rehabilitation work won't begin until April 2021.

The speed limit on the bridge will be reduced from 50 km/h to 30 km/h.

Traffic will be impactedas the flyover is one of the main routes out of downtown, discharging traffic onto Edmonton Trail or Memorial Drive.

The bridge was built in 1972.