Significant progress has been made in the first year of construction on the new St. Louis Bridge, which is being carried out by Graham Construction of Saskatoon. It was to have opened towards the end of this year. The reason for the delay is that the fabricator cannot obtain the steel required for the girders in time to meet the delivery deadline. There are only a handful of mills in North America that can produce steel in the dimensions and properties required, according to the Saskatchewan government. The girders are to be fabricated in sections just over 3m tall and up to 22m in length. Construction on the bridge began in January 2011.
Over the course of the year, earthworks and concrete work were completed for the north and south abutments and the bridge's three piers were completed.
Grading of the connecting roadways is expected to begin in the 2012 construction season, as is construction of the connecting roadways. Once the girders are installed, the remaining work involves building and paving the bridge deck.
