Unless high winds muck things up -- it's a milestone weekend for the Johnson Street Bridge Project.
A large crane arrives in Victoria's Harbour today, and then tomorrow project director Jonathan Huggett says they'll put that crane to work. "We will lift the big main span of the new bridge, which has been at the north end of the upper harbour sitting on a barge while crews assemble it. This is going to be a huge change on Saturday.”
"We're going to be lifting a piece of steel that's 46 meters long and weighs 470 tonnes. You can image this is going to be quite the challenge and quite the spectacle."
However, there could be a wrench in the works. "We cannot lift this in high winds so we've got to have the winds bellow 20 kilometres an hour.” As of Friday morning, Environment Canada was calling for "wind southeast 40 to 60 km/h becoming southwest 40 gusting to 60 near noon" on Saturday.
Huggett says, if they’re able to proceed and if you want to watch the "spectacle," he recommends the area around Mermaid Wharf and the Canoe Club.
Drivers and other bridge users beware - they plan to close the bridge to all traffic from 7am on Saturday morning until 5pm on Sunday afternoon. Victoria Harbour Ferries will provide transportation between the Delta Ocean Point and the Regent Hotel on either side of the water for $2 between 9am and 4pm.