Fredericton bridge closed for weekend

The Princess Margaret Bridge in Fredericton will be closed for repairs this weekend, starting Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Work crews will be jacking up the bridge and installing four bridge bearings, each weighing 360 kilograms, according to Transportation Minister Denis Landry. They will also be relocating work platforms.

The structure, which crosses the St. John River, will remain closed until 6:30 a.m. Monday, according to Department of Transportation officials.

Repairs have been delayed by high winds the past three weekends, officials said. But the work is expected to go ahead as scheduled, based on the latest weather forecast.

The provincial government is spending about $12 million on bridge repairs.

To date, 10 of the 22 bridge bearings have been installed. Four more will be installed in 2010.

Last May, a 10-kilogram chunk of concrete fell off the structure. Although a vehicle was passing underneath at the time, no one was injured.

An engineering report conducted in 2008 said the 52-year-old bridge needed urgent repairs. The government implemented weight restrictions of 43,500 kilograms last November to prevent overstressing the steel structure.

Construction started on the 1,098-metre bridge in 1957 and it opened in 1959.