Bridges and Culverts

The Municipality of West Grey is responsible for 114 bridges and culverts with a span of three metres or more, most of which are over 75 years old.

These structures were designed and built to very different standards than would be acceptable today, and changes in traffic patterns and volume, as well as significant changes to vehicles (including farm equipment), are having a significant impact on bridge and culvert infrastructure. 

Many bridges are reaching the end of their useful lifespan, and significant efforts are being made to assess and prioritize bridges and culverts throughout the Municipality. Unfortunately, structural deterioration has led to restrictions being imposed or the closure of a number of bridges. 

Bridge and culvert prioritization includes:

• Identifying bridges and culverts in poor structural condition (Bridge Condition Index of 70 or lower) with 10 or less service years remaining.
• Creating an order of priority based on the Total Probability of Failure and the Total Consequence of Closure/Failure.
• Derived from the highest risk for Total Probability of Asset Failure as well as estimated remaining service life from the 2024 OSIM reports.
• Maintaining an up-to-date list of structures with the highest replacement priority to best suit the needs of the transportation network within the Municipality.
• Bridges are assessed a risk rating using the following considerations:
  • bridge condition index
  • load limits
  • detour length
  • traffic volume
  • local access
  • emergency response time