Bridge on Wheels: Harmer Avenue bridge rolling down Highway 417

Highway 417 closed for bridge installation A complete shutdown this weekend of a section of Highway 417 will allow crews to install part of the new Harmer Avenue pedestrian overpass.

They're loaded on trucks and ready for the final destination over Highway 417 at Harmer Avenue, just west of Parkdale Avenue

The steel trusses for the new Harmer Avenue Pedestrian Bridge will be installed over the weekend.

The new bridge is replacing a rusty 60-year-old chain link fence crossing which was was at the end of its life span.

The crossing is important as it links the Civic Hospital neighbourhoods with Hintonburg, West Wellington, and Westboro.

Steel trusses were manufactured in Montreal and placed on flat bed trailers for the journey to Ottawa.

A portion of Highway 417 will be closed from Saturday, October 19 at 6 pm to Sunday, October 20 at 11 am.

City of Ottawa Project Manager Elizabeth Murphy says the bridge will be ready for use next June.

"Over the next 9 months, we're going to be fitting it up with all the architectural features, the floor, the glass panels, the lighting," said Murphy.

Artists's rendering of the completed project (City of Ottawa)

The two combined trusses weigh 65 tonnes.

The installation will start around 5 p.m. Saturday with ramp closures.