Elm Tree Road bridge set to close for the winter as of November 11, 2024

The municipality has made the decision to close the Elm Tree Road bridge, located on Elm Tree Road, south of Cross Creek Road, starting on November 11, 2024.

The bridge was temporarily closed earlier this summer to assess damage to the bridge deck. Temporary measures were implemented at that time to keep the bridge accessible to the community through the summer and early fall. The bridge is scheduled for rehabilitation in spring 2025.

After assessing the temporary deck repairs to determine if they would be suitable for winter maintenance, staff determined that the temporary measures put in place are not suitable for winter maintenance due to concerns around snow plows potentially damaging the temporary steel plate decking while performing routine winter maintenance.

While the bridge is structurally sound and safe to drive over, potential damage to the temporary decking in the winter presents a significant safety risk to the public and to snow plow operators. As a result, the Elm Tree Road bridge will be closed as of November 11, 2024.

Elm Tree Road will be closed to southbound traffic south of Cross Creek Road. Elm Tree Road will also be closed at Boulder Road to northbound traffic with the exception of local traffic. Northbound traffic will have no access to Cross Creek Road.

While the municipality understands the bridge closure will negatively impact residents in the area, it is confident that closing the bridge until the end of the rehabilitation project is in the best interest of public safety. As a part of the road closure approval process, the municipality’s Emergency Services (Fire, Paramedic, and Police) were notified and approved the road closure.

Rehabilitation of the bridge is projected to start in April 2025 and anticipated to last until August 2025.

The municipality apologizes for any inconvenience this will cause throughout the closure.

When the bridge is closed, the detour plans will be available through Municipal 511.

Southbound traffic access to Elm Tree Road south of Cross Creek Road

All southbound traffic that require access to Elm Tree Road, south of Cross Creek Road, will be detoured westbound on Little Britain Road to Valentia Road. The detour will direct traffic southbound on Valentia Road to the south portion of Elm Tree Road where you can proceed eastbound to your required route. Elm Tree Road will be closed with the exception of local traffic at Boulder Street. Access to Elm Tree Road north of Boulder Street will be provided to local traffic to approximately 325 metres south of Cross Creek Road at which point a Road Closure sign will be present. Detour signage will be posted along the route.

Northbound traffic requiring access to Elm Tree Road north of the bridge located at Cross Creek Road

All northbound traffic requiring access to Elm Tree Road, north of the bridge at Cross Creek Road, will be diverted westbound on Elm Tree Road to Valentia Road. Traffic will then be rerouted northbound to Little Britain Road, then eastbound for access to Elm Tree Road and Cross Creek Road. The road will be closed at Cross Creek Road and no access will be allowed south of Cross Creek. Detour signage will be posted along the route.