The Municipality of Lambton Shores is gearing up for phase two of the Grand Bend bridge construction project.
Mayor Doug Cook said the Ontario Street bridge work is set to resume in early September.
"It will be similar to what we did the first time," Cook said. "We'll be closing down two lanes. It's after the big rush though. It's after the summer, we're into the fall, so hopefully the summer crowd will have died down. We still expect people to show up and come to our community. We hope people do that, but it should be a lot less traffic than what we've had during the summer."
Phase one was completed ahead of schedule in May, and Cook said phase two is expected to be finished by spring 2026.
"The east side [of the bridge] has been done already and then we're going to finish the west side this year, by adding the right turn lane that gives you the access to 81 Highway from 21 Highway," Cook said.
Mayor Cook asks motorists to be patient once again.
"It's a necessary thing that has to be done. Hopefully it's short term pain for long term gain, because were hoping that this really solves a lot of issues going forward," he said.
Cook said they're hoping all of the work extends the bridge's lifespan by another 60 years.
The $7.63 million project will see the bridge deck converted from four lanes to five lanes, with a dedicated right turn lane at the main intersection to ease traffic congestion.
You can watch the construction in real time on the Grand Bend Bridge Cam.
