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Following months of lost sleep and noise complaints, the new swing bridge on Parkhill and Warsaw Roads is getting a retrofit.

Drivers, particularly those heading northbound, have raised the ire of nearby residents as crossing vehicles generate a loud “clanking” noise.

This week an email went out to some nearby residents from Parks Canada with a promise to address the situation.

The crossing was closed to traffic for about eight months — until midsummer of 2021 — for a full replacement of the steel swing bridge structure, repairs to concrete abutments, and replacement of mechanical and electrical operating systems. 

In a notice posed online Thursday (June 23), attributed to Parks Canada, it explained the bridge will be closed to all vehicular traffic starting on July 4 at 9 a.m. until July 8 midday. Traffic control measures and detour routes will be in place for the duration of the work.

“At this time, selected grating panels of the metal bridge deck will be removed, repaired and reattached to the bridge to reduce the noise caused by vehicles using the bridge,” the notice stated.

Following an observation period during the summer months, similar work may be completed on the remaining grating panels in the fall.

“Parks Canada understands the frustration this situation has caused and would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding.”

It said the repair work will not impact navigation along the waterway.

More than 60 years old, the former swing bridge, spanning the canal between the Peterborough Lift Lock and the Nassau Mills (Lock 22), closed to traffic in October 2020 to allow for construction.

The old bridge, similar in design to the span on Maria Street south of the lift lock, was built in 1956. The Trent Severn Waterway (TSW) said it was nearing the end of its operational life.

After several delays, it reopened to traffic in August of last year.

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