As progress reports go, the latest issued by the team responsible for building the Third Crossing bridge in Kingston couldn’t be much better.

The integrated project delivery (IPD) team issued its information report to Kingston City Council for the third quarter of 2020 on December 15. In it, the team advises that about one-third of the construction work on the 1.2-kilometre bridge across the Cataraqui River is complete, and the project remains on track for completion by the end of 2022.

The project is valued at $180 million. Its cost is being shared equally among the federal, provincial and municipal governments.

Some of the key milestones completed in the first three quarters of the year include: completion of the temporary rock causeway – which provides access for construction equipment, materials and crew during in-water construction, and creation and completion of the temporary trestle lift span over the navigation channel – an idea developed by the IPD team to accommodate boaters and move equipment instead of using local roads and impacting traffic.

Additionally, the pier and foundations—the first permanent elements of the bridge—are now visible above the water. Seventeen piers have been completed; the remaining four are in progress. They will be finalized by early 2021 to allow for construction on both the approach spans and main span of the bridge.

Bauer Foundations Canada is among those responsible for work associated with the construction of the foundations and piers. The firm has advanced work on 19 of the 21 pier groups that are part of the bridge crossing. This work involves advancing large diameter steel caissons down to bedrock, drilling rock sockets into bedrock, excavation of soils within the steel casing, installation of rebar cages, and concrete placement to complete the foundation construction.

ABF Reinforcing Steel, meanwhile, is one of the main project subcontractors responsible for completion of the bridge pier caps. Four pier caps have been completed to date; an additional two are underway with formwork and steel reinforcing being installed. Kiewit has also completed the foundation elements for both the west and east shore bridge abutments.

The report also indicates that the project has been largely unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, summer and fall disruptions to the supply of cement, slag and concrete as a result of the pandemic have not slowed down production, and the IPD team is working with its supplier St Mary’s CBM Ready Mix to mitigate any risks.

Finally, the project has yielded a number of important local and community benefits to date. Through October, the IPD team has spent more than $5.6 million on locally sourced materials and contracts, hired more than 45,000 hours of labour from within 115 kilometres of Kingston, and more than 30,000 hours from within 40 kilometres, secured 67 contracts with local businesses, and made more than $2,500 worth of donations to local charities.

Planned work for the early part of 2021 includes the completion of the pier foundations, abutments and pier caps, which will enable the start of two significant components of the overall bridge. These include the erection of the steel main span section of the bridge which will start in the first quarter of the year, following the completion of the main span piers.

Also planned is the placement of concrete girders on the approach spans for the bridge, which will also occur in the first quarter of the year. Fabrication of the girders is currently underway and being managed by DECAST in Barrie.