After almost seven months of work, the reopening of the Piles bridge, in the Grand-Mère sector in Shawinigan, will officially take place next week.
The stays are installed, the tensioning is completed and the transfer of the deck load by the stays has recently been confirmed.
Last February, reinforcement works were urgently ordered, which forced its complete closure.
The past few months have been difficult for residents of the area and road users who had to make detours of several kilometers. Nearby traders are relieved.
“Ah, I’m happy,” said the owner of the Vaugeois convenience store, France Vaugeois. It will do good. Traffic will return to normal.
A restaurateur must even hire new staff in view of the reopening in a few days.
“I can’t wait to see what the reopening will be like. Our turnover had dropped by 70%. I had job losses. We closed three days a week,” said the owner of Le Galion restaurant, François Duhaime.
A sigh of relief also in view of the Western Festival of Saint-Tite which will be presented in a little over two weeks, since thousands of people normally take this route.
The reopening also comes just in time for the strong hunting season in the La Tuque sector.
Some work will have to be done in the next few days.
“We are going to finish removing the work platforms, there is also the installation of safety devices, slides for example, stabilization of the slope, repairs at the level of the roadway as well”, explained the door. – spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport, Roxanne Pellerin.
Clearing work will be done by the end of September to prepare the ground for the construction of the new structure, which should begin next spring.