Queen Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project

Dear Resident and Business Owners,

Please be advised that the nightwork related to the Queen Street Bridge Project has been rescheduled to the following dates:

• Monday May 12, 2025

• Tuesday May 13, 2025

• Friday May 16, 2025

Please note that these dates are tentative and are subject to change as we continue to coordinate the work with Metrolinx. We will keep you updated if any further changes occur. The Town appreciates your continued support during the evolving schedule.

As a reminder, this overnight work will involve the sawcutting and removal of the bridge girders directly above the Metrolinx tracks.

Dear Residents and Business Owners,

The Town of Newmarket would like to inform you that the overnight work related to the Queen Street Rehabilitation Project has been rescheduled tentatively to May 5th, 2025, and will no longer commence on April 28th as previously communicated to you.

Please note that this new start date is tentative and could be subject to change as we continue to coordinate the work with Metrolinx. We will keep you updated if any further changes occur.

As a reminder, this overnight work will involve the removal of the bridge girders directly above the Metrolinx tracks. Due to active rail operations, this work must be conducted outside of regular train service hours to ensure the safety of workers, the public, and transit operations.

We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we carry out this critical infrastructure work. The completed bridge will improve safety, accessibility, and long-term maintenance, and will align with Metrolinx’s plans for railway expansion and electrification.

For the latest updates on the project, please visit HeyNewmarket.ca/QueenBridge

Thank you, Eric Engman, Senior Capital Works Project Manager Engineering Services. Town of Newmarket eengman@nemarket.ca | 905-895-5193 ext. 2519

Dear Resident and Business Owner,

This letter is to notify you of upcoming overnight work related to the Queen Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project from April 28 to May 2, 2025.

This overnight work will involve the removal of the bridge girders directly above the Metrolinx tracks. As a result of this work, the Town of Newmarket is anticipating some noise disruptions for nearby residents and businesses. Due to active rail operations, Metrolinx has mandated this work over the tracks be conducted outside of regular train service hours to ensure safety for workers, the public, and transit operations.

The Town of Newmarket is exempt from the noise bylaw for infrastructure projects; however, we recognize the importance of reducing the impact to residents and will work with the Town contractors to minimize the impact as much as possible.

In case of delays due to weather or unforeseen circumstances, a contingency window has been set for May 3 to May 9, 2025. More information will be provided to residents should this occur.

The Town of Newmarket thanks all residents and businesses for their support for this important infrastructure project. Once the bridge is complete the bridge will improve safety and accessibility for all users, align with Metrolinx’s planned expansion and electrification of the railway, and reduce long-term maintenance costs. Project updates will be available on HeyNewmarket.ca/QueenBridge

Thanks

Eric Engman, Senior Capital Works Project Manager Engineering Services. Town of Newmarket eengman@newmarket.ca | 905-895-5193 ext. 2519

The Town of Newmarket is confirming that the full road and bridge closure for the Queen Street Bridge over the Metrolinx Tracks will begin on March 17, 2025. The bridge and road closure will be in effect until the expected completion of the project of December 2025.

What to Expect

• Full road and bridge closure on Queen Street starting March 17th, 2025.
• No vehicles or pedestrian will be permitted across the bridge.
• Access to businesses and residences will remain open:
• West of the bridge: Access via Main Street South.
• East of the bridge: Access via Prospect Street.
• Emergency vehicle access will be maintained at all times.
• Tom Taylor Trail will remain open throughout the project.
• Digital signage and detour maps will be in-place to guide traffic.
• Construction Impacts
• Typical work hours will be from Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Some work will occur on weekends and overnight, as required by Metrolinx’s regulations.
• Noise, dust, and minor vibrations may occur; monitoring measures will be in place.
• Advance notice will be provided for any temporary driveway access restrictions.

Project Benefits

The Town is committed to maintaining safe and reliable infrastructure for our residents and businesses. As part of this commitment, once this project is complete, the bridge will improve safety and accessibility for all users, align with Metrolinx’s planned expansion and electrification of the railway, and reduce long-term maintenance costs.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we complete this important upgrade. The Town is dedicated to keeping you informed throughout the project, and we will provide regular updates on the project.

Queen Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project - Road Closure Notice
The Town of Newmarket is preparing for the rehabilitation of the Queen Street Bridge over the Metrolinx Tracks (between Main Street South and Prospect Street.) This project requires a full road and sidewalk closure for both vehicles and pedestrians, starting in early to mid-March 2025 and continuing until December 2025.

Project Timeline & Impacts

• February 2025: Early preparation work, including site trailer installation, traffic signage placement, and environmental protection measures.
• March 2025: Full closure of Queen Street Bridge (no vehicle or pedestrian access.) A detour map will be available to guide alternate routes.
• Access: All businesses and residential properties will remain accessible, with access west of the bridge via Main Street South and east of the bridge via Prospect Street. Emergency vehicle access will be maintained at all times.
• Construction Impacts: Work will take place Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. with occasional weekend and night work as needed. Some dust, noise, and vibrations may occur, but mitigation measures will be in place.
• Tom Taylor Trail: Will remain open throughout the project.

Project Benefits

This bridge replacement will:

✔ Improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles
✔ Strengthen infrastructure for long-term durability
✔ Reduce future maintenance needs

The Town will provide regular project updates through digital signage and notifications. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to improve our community infrastructure.

Bell has informed the Town that their contractor will be remobilizing back to Queen Street and Concession Street as early as the week of August 26, 2024, to start restoration work. It is anticipated this work will take 2 weeks to complete. The restoration work includes restoring of sidewalk and curbs and the repaving of the intersection of Queen Street and Concession Street.

It is anticipated there will be minor and intermittent traffic delays along Queen Street to allow the contractor to complete their work within the intersection.

The 10-tonne load restriction on the Queen Bridge over the Metrolinx tracks is still in effect.

The look-ahead schedule for the Queen Street bridge replacement project is as follows:

• Now until December 2024 – Bell to complete utility work, which involves cable placement and splicing of wires on Queen Street. This is low-impact work, and there will be minimal construction impact to traffic on Queen Street during this time.
• Fall 2024 - The Town will be hosting a Public Information Centre for the Queen Street Bridge Replacement Project, which will provide residents and businesses with a better understanding of the schedule and impacts of the project. We will be working with all parties to ensure minimal disruption.
• Spring 2025 –The Town will begin construction on replacing the Queen Street bridge over the train tracks. The bridge will have to remain closed during this work. The work is expected to be completed by Spring 2026.

On Saturday, June 8, the Town of Newmarket will be reopening the Queen Street bridge over the railway tracks to regular two-way traffic with the previously signed 10-tonne weight limit in place. The Queen Street bridge was previously closed in late April out of an abundance of caution while the Town conducted a more in-depth structural analysis of the bridge.

This careful decision to reopen the bridge was taken after the Town consulted with a second independent structural engineering firm that undertook a more comprehensive and quantitative assessment with structural modeling to compare it to the original inspections which were based on visual qualitative observations only. The findings from the second assessment show that the bridge has enough structural core capacity and redundancy to allow for it to reopen to regular traffic under the previously signed 10-tonne weight restriction. The bridge will continue to be inspected every month to ensure it continues to be safe for all.

The Town of Newmarket would like to thank all residents for their patience during this brief but necessary closure.

Effective immediately, the Town of Newmarket is closing the Queen Street Bridge over the railway tracks for public safety until further notice. This immediate action is based on the findings of the most recent site inspection completed by the Town’s Structural Engineer. The Town of Newmarket apologizes for the inconvenience and short notice on the closure; however, public safety is the Town’s top priority. Local and public access will remain available (using the detour routes noted in the map)

Prior to the planned full replacement of this bridge in 2025 due to its age and condition, the Town began a regular inspection program to monitor and maintain public safety since 2021. By the summer of 2022, in order to allow public access to continue on the Queen Street Bridge, the Town’s Structural Engineer recommended a 10-ton load restriction with signage indicating the load limit. The Queen Street bridge has continued to see heavy truck traffic despite the load posting and has now deteriorated more rapidly than expected. As a result, the Structural Engineer has advised the Town to close the Queen Street Bridge immediately for public safety.

Although the bridge was originally slated to be closed for the purpose of the full reconstruction next year as Phase 2 of this multi-year project, this is an earlier closure than first anticipated. The Structural Engineer and Town staff are investigating potential options that may allow for a safe, temporary re-opening of the bridge between now and its planned full closure in 2025. The Town will also accelerate the tendering process in an attempt to begin permitting and construction earlier during the latter part of 2024 if at all possible.

Members of the public looking to access Main Street or Prospect Street can use Davis Drive or Water Street. Detour signs will be in place to indicate the closure ahead of time for road users. Please see the detour map below for more details.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we complete this important work to ensure the Queen Street bridge is safe for all to use.

For future updates, please check back on this project webpage.

Dear Residents and Business Owners,

This notice is to provide you with an update on the work along Queen Street between Prospect Street and Main Street South.

York Region and their Contractor (Trisan) are continuing to progress well on the Region’s sewer repair work at Queen Street and Concession Street.

The current schedule is as follows:

• October to November 2023: York Region to complete their repair of the sewer and temporarily restore the area of Queen Street/ Concession Street.
• November 2023 to January 2024 – Avertex (Bell’s Contractor) will remobilize on Queen Street and Concession Street to complete the installation of Bell’s conduit along Queen Street between Concession Street and Prospect Street.
• Spring 2024 – Permanent restoration of area (asphalt, curbs, sidewalks, driveways, sod, trees, etc.) Minor interruptions to traffic on Queen Street and Concession Street are anticipated during this work.
• January 2024 to December 2024 – Bell to complete utility work, which will involve cable placement and splicing of wires on Queen Street. This is low-impact work, and there will be minimal impact to traffic on Queen Street during this time. The Town will also be hosting Public Information Centers for the Queen Street bridge replacement project, which will provide residents with a better understanding of the schedule and impacts of the project.
• Spring 2025 – The Town commences construction on replacing the Queen Street bridge over the train tracks. The bridge will have to be closed during this work. The work is expected to be completed in Spring 2026.

The most up-to-date schedule, all notices, and information can be viewed at heynewmarket.ca/queenbridge.

The westbound traffic lane on Queen Street is currently open for emergency services, residents, and waste collection only. There may be interim traffic delays and we encourage all residents to follow the detour on the reverse side of this notice. The eastbound lane remains closed for the duration of this project and there is currently a 10 ton load limit on the bridge.

For residents who have received waste bags from the Town, please continue to use these on your collection day. A friendly reminder to have your waste and recycling out by 7 a.m. If you require additional waste bags, please contact the undersigned.

As with all construction works, residents may experience dust, noise, and minor vibration. The Town, York Region, and Trisan will limit these inconveniences as much as possible.

Should you have any questions regarding the project, please reach out to Eric Engman, Capital Works Project Manager at the Town of Newmarket by emailing eengman@newmarket.ca or by calling 905-895-5193 ext. 2519.

Project updates will be communicated to you via direct letter. For all past project updates and information, please visit heynewmarket.ca/queenbridge

On behalf of every party involved with this project, the Town would like to truly thank the residents and community for their continued understanding, appreciation, and patience during this project.

Dear Resident and Business Owners,

This notice is to provide you with an update on the work along Queen Street between Prospect Street and Main Street

South.

Since the last notice, Bell’s contractor (Avertex) encountered an unexpected repair needed in the field, which will

unfortunately extend the duration of the project by a few months. Avertex has left the site and York Region’s contractor,

Trisan, has mobilized and will be working at the intersection of Queen Street and Concession Street. Once Trisan has

completed their work, Avertex is scheduled to re-mobilize and finish installing the conduit as originally planned.

The westbound traffic lane on Queen Street is currently open for emergency services, local residents, and waste collection

only. There may be interim traffic delays and we encourage all residents to follow the detour on the reverse side of this

notice. The eastbound lane remains closed for the duration of this project.

For residents who have received waste bags from the Town, please continue to use these on your collection day. A friendly

reminder to have your waste and recycling out by 7 a.m. If you require additional waste bags, please contact the

undersigned.

As with all construction works, residents may experience dust, noise, and minor vibration. The Town, York Region, and

Trisan will limit these inconveniences as much as possible.

Should you have any questions regarding the project, please reach out to Eric Engman, Capital Works Project Manager at

the Town of Newmarket by emailing eengman@newmarket.ca or by calling 905-895-5193 ext. 2519, Jose Oliveira,

Contract Administrator at York Region by e-mailing Jose.Oliveira@york.ca, or Steve Frustaglio at Trisan Construction by

calling 416-389-8395 or by e-mailing stevefrustaglio@trisanconstruction.com.

Project updates will be communicated to you via direct letter. For all past project updates and information, please visit

heynewmarket.ca/queenbridge

On behalf of every party involved with this project, the Town would like to truly thank the residents and community for their

continued understanding, appreciation, and patience during this project.