Tender called for replacement of Kenmount Road overpass

“The existing Kenmount Road overpass has outlived its usefulness,” Transportation Minister Tom Hedderson said.

“Because of its age, height and size, the time has come to replace it with a larger structure that will better facilitate the flow of people and goods in this busy and expanding area of the province.”

The tender calls for the replacement of the Kenmount Road overpass — which currently has two lanes above and two lanes below the structure — with a much larger structure and associated work. The new overpass will accommodate four lanes on Kenmount Road, above the structure, and six lanes on Topsail Road, below the structure. The six lanes beneath the overpass will include two turning lanes for on-ramps that provide access to Kenmount Road. The project is being cost-shared 50/50 between the provincial and federal governments under the federal Building Canada Fund.

  Topsail MHA Paul Davis and Mount Pearl North MHA Steve Kent said replacement of the Kenmount Road overpass will eliminate the bottleneck effect and accomodate higher traffic flows.

Also included in the tender is the replacement of two existing bridge structures on Kenmount Road, one over the T’Railway and one over the Waterford River, with large culverts. This work is expected to be completed later this fall.

Necessary widening work associated with the additional lanes above and below the Kenmount Road overpass will begin this summer. The completion of this widening, and other work including the demolition and replacement of the overpass structure, will begin next spring and should be completed by late summer/early fall 2011. A diversion will be constructed to divert Kenmount Road traffic around the construction site.