Local commuters have been waiting for almost two years for work to be completed on the new Fountain Street bridge in Blair, and now their wait is over.

“The bridge should be open to the public around noon Friday, just in time for the holiday weekend,” Waterloo Region project manager John Stephenson tells The Times.

Finishing touches are being put on the new bridge Thursday and an opening ceremony with regional chair Ken Seiling is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday.

It has been almost two years since Waterloo Region closed Fountain Street between Limerick and Blair roads to replace the bridge and complete other upgrades to that section of Fountain Street.

Stephenson said the $13.9-million project has had its share of headaches including this year’s extended winter, which delayed the pouring of some concrete on the bridge. While waiting for the weather to break, the contractor was able to work on other aspects of the project, which made up for much of the delay.

Throughout the work on the project, the region has been able to maintain a pedestrian/cyclist crossing through the construction site. As part of the project, the region has added multi-use pedestrian/cycle lanes, which are now in operation.

With the opening of the Fountain Street bridge, drivers using the adjacent Blair Road roundabout should use additional caution as the volume of traffic will be increasing, and traffic will be entering the roundabout from the bridge again.

