Rankin Construction working on Welland aqueduct; trail system closed in area

Closed since the beginning of June, a section of the Welland Canals Parkway Trail through Welland could be open by the end of July.

The trail was closed as Rankin Construction started to carry out a $598,330 contract to work on the aqueduct on the west side of Welland Recreational Canal.

The aqueduct, with six siphons, carries the Welland River under the former shipping canal.

An email from the city said the project consists of a cantilever removal — a horizontal structural element only supported at one end — on the structure.

The city said the bulk of the work is expected to be completed by end of July.

Trail users were being asked to take Niagara Street, from the area of the Black Sheep Lounge to Merritt Street as a detour around the work.

Fencing was installed on both sides of the construction work to prevent access and keep people away from the heavy machinery.

While that work is ongoing, city councillors recently approved spending just more than $1.1 million to clean out the southernmost siphon of the aqueduct.

A 2020 inspection carried out by ASI Marine for $28,000 found that siphon to be filled with sediment. It already has a reduced cross-section due to concrete-encased infrastructure that runs through it.

Council set aside $1.25 million to carry out the cleanup work in the 2022 capital budget.

By Dave Johnson, The Record

Original Article