The city is set this morning to begin lifting two massive steel girders on the 102nd Avenue Bridge over Groat Road.
All eyes at the work site will be watching to see if the girders straighten out.
If they do, Groat Road could be open again by the end of this week — the “best-case scenario,” according to the city.
Crews spent several hours on Monday hooking up cables to two of the four buckled girders.
This morning, a 1,200-tonne crane will lift those two. The weight will be taken off slowly.
City working this morning to lift two buckled girders on 102 Avenue bridge. (John Zazula/CBC)
“”There could be 20 people watching, Barry Belcourt, city manager of road design and construction, told reporters Monday.
Asked what he hopes will happen, Belcourt said: “That when we transfer the weight, that some of the girders may go back to their original state. There’s a lot of elasticity in steel. So when you take the pressure off, you could have one of two of those girders go right back to its original form. Without any damage.”
If the girders don’t straighten out, the city will work towards its original plan, which calls for the bridge to reopen by April 7.
