The District of Saanich and the Town of View Royal are pleased to announce that the final design concept for the replacement of the Craigflower Bridge and the upgrade of Admirals Road from the Island Highway to Gorge Road has been approved by the Councils of both municipalities. Funding for this project is provided by a grant from the Federal Gas Tax Regionally Significant Priorities Fund. Admirals Road connects the municipalities of the District of Saanich (Saanich), the Town of View Royal (View Royal) and the Township of Esquimalt and crosses the Gorge Waterway on the Craigflower Bridge. It carries 18,000 vehicles per day including almost 1500 trucks. It has been designated as a Strategic Corridor by the Capital Regional District (CRD). The bridge is 78 years old and coming to the end of its useful life.

Project Schedule

Saanich and View Royal have been working diligently on an expedited timeline with the intent of beginning construction in June 2012.  While many aspects of the project are time sensitive, two critical components are the environmental and archeological assessment and permitting processes. The required permits will not be in place for the projected June 2012 start which will result in a delay to the project.

The project team is considering two alternative construction start dates. Both of these are designed to limit the effect of the project on the surrounding neighbours and businesses.  The first option is to start construction in January 2013. This would result in project construction between January 2013 and July 2013.  The second option is to start construction during the next available fisheries window, June of 2013.

Saanich and View Royal are working with a number of external agencies and will be contacting stakeholder groups to determine the most appropriate construction period.  An announcement will be made regarding the chosen timeline by August 2012.

In order to ensure that the project stays within this six month schedule, the project team is currently analyzing and investigating ways in which the construction timeline can be expedited. This includes the use of pre-manufactured bridge sections which would potentially be manufactured off-site and then trucked to the site and directly installed, saving the on-site crews valuable time. Staff will also investigate the use of longer working hours during construction to help shorten the construction period. As well, staff will look into integrating both penalty clauses for being over-schedule and incentive clauses for being ahead of schedule in the construction contract documents.

Final Concept

The final concept is a result of an extensive public consultation process. The aesthetics of the bridge and its suitability within its historical context, as well as cycling and sidewalk widths, were key aspects for many who commented on the designs. Overall, the respondents, including those who completed the questionnaires at the December 7, 2011 Open House, and those who emailed and met with staff, identified that the 4 Span Steel Arch Design, with the amenity space of the Curved Bowstring Design, was the most attractive and most appropriate for this setting.

Therefore, the design team has developed a final concept which integrates the most preferred features of the concepts.  The structure will be straight, with steel arches and a slightly curved roadway alignment.  Both sides of the bridge will curve gently outward allowing for a wide amenity space on the downstream (east) side of the bridge.

The bridge will have three vehicle lanes - one northbound and two southbound. Bike lanes will be 1.8 metres in width on the roadway approaches and 2.0 metres in width on the bridge structure itself. Sidewalks will be 2.0 metres in width and traffic lanes will be 3.3 metres in width on both the roadway approaches and bridge structure. Click here to view the final alignment concept for Admirals Road.

The design team presented the final concept at a public open house on February 22nd. The event was well attended and the design team will now be moving to complete the detailed design in preparation for tendering and construction.

An overview of the final design concept including architectural renderings prepared by Herold Engineering and Hughes Condon Marler Architects shown below.

Access During Construction

Stakeholders and the general public have been polled over the last few months as to what their preference is in terms of the bridge construction timeframe – either close Admirals Road from the Island Highway to Gorge Road completely, resulting in an approximate six month construction time period, or leave Admirals Road open with intermittent traffic, resulting in an approximate eighteen month construction time period.

This is a key component of the project as it greatly affects the transportation network, project budget and nearby businesses.

Councils have approved the recommendation from the project team that Admirals Road be closed completely from the Island Highway to Gorge Road during the construction period. The project team has determined that this will significantly reduce the length of the construction period, as well as keep the project within budget limits.

The project team will ensure that a detailed and thorough traffic management plan and communication plan are put in place, which will include assisting affected businesses with advertising by way of signage and the project website.

It should be noted that a key concern of the respondents has been pedestrian access across the Gorge during the construction period. The project team is currently investigating different options which could be used during construction, such as a temporary pedestrian-only structure, or shuttle bus service.

During the bridge construction closure, with the benefit of a significant reduction in traffic in the area, the District of Saanich will be undertaking two additional infrastructure projects in close proximity to the bridge site. These projects consist of completing roadway and underground infrastructure improvements on Admirals Road from Gorge Road to Cowper Street and reconstructing the existing sanitary sewer mains on Gorge Road from Admirals Road to Tillicum Road.

For more information regarding this project contact us via email at admiralsroad@saanich.ca