Groat Road Bridges and Road Renewal Project

Closure Notice - January 2019

Starting Thursday January 3, River Valley Road under Groat Road Bridge, including the shared-use path, will be closed for bridge abutment demolition. Work is expected to be complete by Saturday February 2. Temporary traffic controls will be installed. All travellers, including drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, are advised to take alternate routes and adhere to signage in the area. 

To access River Valley Road east of Groat Road Bridge, motorists will need to approach from the east side of the bridge. Motorist access over the river via Groat Road Bridge will be maintained for both southbound and northbound traffic. 

Access to the bridge from the northeast shared-use path will be maintained. Pedestrian and cyclist access to the bridge from the northwest side of the bridge will be closed due to the proximity to the demolition site. Shared-use path users approaching from the northwest side are advised to detour to the 102 Avenue bike route. 

Access to the Victoria Park Oval will be available from the east side of the Groat Road Bridge on River Valley Road. 

The City thanks motorists, pedestrians and cyclists for their patience during the completion of this critical work.

Project Update - November 2018

The Groat Road over Victoria Park Road Bridge has been rehabilitated and is mostly complete except for some remaining painting, sealing and road work. The temporary traffic signal which was causing traffic congestion has been deactivated.

Emily Murphy Park Road Bridge over Groat Road (Mayfair Bridge) will be rehabilitated in 2019 with reduced lane widths and staged construction.

Work completed to date on the Groat Road river crossing included routing traffic to the east side of the bridge, allowing work on the west half of the bridge. A gantry crane is being installed to remove the existing bridge deck and girders starting in December 2018, followed by installation of the new girders and the pouring of a new deck in spring 2019. When the west half is complete, traffic will be routed to the new side and work will begin on the east half of the bridge. Project completion is the fall of 2020 and this river crossing will be one lane in each direction for the duration of the project.

Pedestrian and cyclist traffic is currently being accommodated on the east sidewalk of the bridge. This former shared-use path has been reclassified as a sidewalk through the duration of this construction due to the narrowed travel width. This sidewalk has been signed for cyclists to dismount or continue to travel on the roadway. The project team thanks cyclists for their cooperation in dismounting and sharing this river crossing space with all modes of transportation.

Additionally, the City project team has devised an optimum strategy for enhanced snow removal on the river bridge during the winter seasons.

The project team, in collaboration with industry experts, evaluated the length of construction if the bridge is closed entirely, however it was determined that given the scope of work required, the overall construction duration would not be substantially shortened by this option. Maintaining one lane in each direction is a balance between construction duration and river crossing access to vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the area.

Project Timeline

Field Investigation - As part of the permitting process for this project, the Project Team completed a field investigation in spring 2017 to determine if historical or archaeological artifacts are present in the key portions of the project area.

Preliminary Design - Completed November 2016

Detailed Design - Completed in October 2017

Tendering Period - November-December 2017

Pre-Construction Information Session - March 7, 2018

Construction - Began April 18, 2018