Kalmo Road Bridge

Kalmo Road is a two-lane collector roadway located in Val Caron. The Kalmo Road Bridge (Whitson River crossing) was originally constructed in the early 1980s and underwent emergency repairs in1998 to address some structural deficiencies and maintain its weight posting. The current structure is a single span, single lane steel modular bridge (Bailey Bridge) with timber decking and timber crib abutments.

The bridge is showing signs of deterioration and damage and its remaining service life is anticipated to be less than nine years. Kalmo Road, including the Whitson River crossing, provides an important link between the communities of Hanmer/Capreol and Val Caron and has seen increased traffic volumes resulting in occasional traffic bottlenecks and safety concerns at the bridge. As such, a two-lane bridge is now warranted.

Current Status

The City of Greater Sudbury has completed a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) Study through its consultant AECOM to evaluate replacement and rehabilitation alternatives to address the structural and capacity needs of the Kalmo Road Bridge.

The final report on the MCEA has been posted. It documents study findings, results and recommendations, as well as public, agency, stakeholder and Indigenous Community consultation results.

Read the final report (PDF,13.6 MB)

Read the detailed appendix to the final report (PDF, 35.4 MB)

Read the Notice of Completion letter that was sent to local residents and stakeholders (PDF, 676 KB)

If you have questions or comments about the report, please contact one of the Project Managers listed at right.


Kalmo Road is a two-lane collector roadway located in Val Caron. The Kalmo Road Bridge (Whitson River crossing) was originally constructed in the early 1980s and underwent emergency repairs in1998 to address some structural deficiencies and maintain its weight posting. The current structure is a single span, single lane steel modular bridge (Bailey Bridge) with timber decking and timber crib abutments.

The bridge is showing signs of deterioration and damage and its remaining service life is anticipated to be less than nine years. Kalmo Road, including the Whitson River crossing, provides an important link between the communities of Hanmer/Capreol and Val Caron and has seen increased traffic volumes resulting in occasional traffic bottlenecks and safety concerns at the bridge. As such, a two-lane bridge is now warranted.

Current Status

The City of Greater Sudbury has completed a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) Study through its consultant AECOM to evaluate replacement and rehabilitation alternatives to address the structural and capacity needs of the Kalmo Road Bridge.

The final report on the MCEA has been posted. It documents study findings, results and recommendations, as well as public, agency, stakeholder and Indigenous Community consultation results.

Read the final report (PDF,13.6 MB)

Read the detailed appendix to the final report (PDF, 35.4 MB)

Read the Notice of Completion letter that was sent to local residents and stakeholders (PDF, 676 KB)

If you have questions or comments about the report, please contact one of the Project Managers listed at right.


CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

Take a look at the right hand side of this page to see our frequently asked questions about this project. If you have an additional question, please post it here and we'll get back to you.

  • Can you please send me the complete cost of replacing the bridge the contract

    Larry asked over 2 years ago

    There is currently no contract in place for the bridge replacement. The contract will be developed at the time of detail design. As noted in section 8.5 of the Kalmo Road Bridge MCEA Report, the current estimated preliminary design cost of the bridge replacement is $2,657,000.00 + HST.

  • Will the shoulders of the road be improved and widened, at present they are extremely narrow( with a sharp slant) or non-existent from the bridge to Main Street and beyond almost to Sandy Beach Road. The mailboxes were moved to Main Street from Kalmo Road and has increased pedestrian traffic it would also improve conditions for bicycle traffic as well. The intersection at Main and Kalmo should also be looked at as it seems most drivers turning west off of Kalmo unto Main seem to think the stop sign is merely a suggestion. there have been several incidents at his intersection and the hill is always a challenge during the winter driving season.

    Colin Tremblay asked almost 3 years ago

    Thank you for your question. 

     The bridge approaches directly north and south of the new bridge will include a paved and granular shoulder. The limits of this project do not extend to Main Street.

    The scope of this project does not include traffic analysis of the Kalmo Road and Main Street intersection, but Greater Sudbury Police have been notified of the concerns at this location.

  • In reference to the proposed replacement of the Kalmo Road bridge I am sharing my opinions as a person who has lived on Bodson Drive West for over 32 years and who has had 30-years of road work construction. It can be expected that the current bridge on Kalmo Road changing from a heritage one lane bridge to a two lane bridge structure will increase the traffic on all streets leading to and from Kalmo Road. Rationale for traffic increase is that motorists will be more interested in a route that they anticipate will decrease their travel time if it is a two lane bridge. Currently some avoid this route as there is an anticipated delay at the bridge. The Kalmo bridge could remain an efficient one-lane bridge with improved and safer approaches e.g. roadway tapers, guardrails etc. There have not been any significant improvements in this regard in at least twenty years. Increased traffic will lead to increased use of de-icing agents. I am very concerned that what is presently being used by Greater Sudbury as a de-icing agent does contain salt. I have observed that the “sand” type agent used on Bodson Drive results in almost immediate melting of ice road conditions which leads me to believe that the “sand” used does in fact contain salt. Therefore, indicating a “no salt” route designation is not accurate and is misleading. Salt use is a major concern as the residents on Bodson Drive and connecting roadways are concerned that their drinking water supplied by private wells will become contaminated. Increased traffic in this rural area will also impact citizen safety for joggers, cyclists, walkers, and horse back riders. There are no sidewalks and the speed of traffic far exceeds the current posted 60 km. speed, which is higher than other similar areas. There have also been many vehicle collisions with wildlife along these routes that are frequented by deer, moose, bear, foxes and other wildlife. Action is necessary to minimize these occurrences and increase safety of users and wildlife. Increased traffic also creates noise pollution and leads to adverse impacts on human health such as psychosocial and physiological effects e.g. stress, irritation, sleep disturbances, and high blood pressure etc., and also impacts wildlife habitat. Part of the noise pollution issue is the increase in traffic and also is the tar and chip road surface treatment currently used. There would be less noise with speed reduction and with the use of hot mix asphalt pavement. The Kalmo road route unfortunately is considered a connector route between Val Caron and Hanmer/Capreol. This route is considered a shortcut and will have negative impacts as aforementioned but also can have a negative economic impact on the Val Caron and Hanmer businesses. Visibility of these businesses would be best achieved with improvements or upgrades to the easterly end of Dominion Drive and also improvements along Municipal Road 80 such as resurfacing from south of Dominion Drive to Hanmer. These road sections require significant work for the intended main connector route. Considerations for action to address the aforementioned concerns: · Maintain the one-lane bridge with improved safer approaches · Absolutely no salt used in de-icing agents for private well drinking water areas · Reduce speed limits to 50 km/h that are strictly enforced · Use traffic calming strategies such as speed humps, chicanes · Accommodation at bridge for foot traffic, cyclists etc. · Defer Kalmo bridge work until completion of improvements to Dominion Drive East I am not the only one with concerns about Kalmo Bridge proposal. I would hope that there will be a meeting organized for all those interested in openly discussing all the concerns about the proposed changes for the Kalmo Bridge. Ken Falcioni

    Ken asked about 3 years ago

    Thank you for your question. Please see the following responses:

    1.           The City is not anticipating large increases in traffic at this location

    2.            Kalmo Road is currently not a salt route for snow plowing operations and there is no current plan to change this designation

    3.            Greater Sudbury Police have been notified of the speeding concerns at this location.

    4.            If residents wish to request a Traffic Calming Study for their neighborhood, please contact 311 with the location request.  Operators will relay the request to the Traffic department for analysis. Please see attached link providing additional information on the City’s traffic calming program: https://pub-greatersudbury.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=6ef766fc-ef4e-4eb1-bc99-11a8236b7789&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English&Item=20&Tab=attachments

    5.            The proposed 2 lane bridge includes a 1.5m paved shoulder on each side of the road for additional safety

    6.            The new approaches to the bridge will be paved with hot mix asphalt

    7.            Through the 2022 Capital Budget process, funding has been requested for resurfacing of the most easterly 1.7 km of Dominion Dr, along with Notre Dame from Dominion Dr north to Oscar St.

  • I also have concerns around the speed cars travel on this roadway, the safety of the residents, as well as the safety of anyone using the road to walk or bike as the road is not wide and there are blind spots coming over the hills. Connecting Notre Dame (Val Caron) and Main Street will allow for a road to be built to handle the amount of traffic already seen on this road and hopefully provide a future access to New Sudbury via the Barrydowne Extension. Replacing the bridge only increases the amount of traffic on a road that was not designed for high traffic and increases safety risks. Is the option of letting the bridge run its course and remove it in 8-9 years and instead put the money towards connecting Main street and Notre Dame (Val Caron) being considered?

    Darren asked about 3 years ago

    The Barry Downe extension is a potential long-term future project recommended under the current Transportation Master Plan for the City of Greater Sudbury, that is currently not funded.  The Transportation Master Plan can be accessed via the following link, https://www.greatersudbury.ca/live/transportation-parking-and-roads/road-plans-and-studies/transportation-master-plan/

    The proposed two-lane bridge includes a 1.5m paved shoulder on each side of the road for additional safety.

     

  • I feel for my safety turning into my own driveway, adding a double lane will only increase the speeding. What are your plans to keep the speed limit at 60km/hr?

    Janjan asked about 3 years ago

    There is no intention to change the speed limit at this location. Greater Sudbury Police have been notified of the speeding concerns at this location.

  • I live on bodson and see daily drivers pass traffic on the kalmo hill and speeders. It’s a solid yellow line, what are your plans to slow traffic down?

    Janjan asked about 3 years ago

    Greater Sudbury Police have been notified of the speeding concerns at this location.

  • Will you be adding speed bumps on bodson if install a double bridge? This is a side road not a hwy people already fly on this road. Don’t forget the farmers on this road. Lots of animals are being injured or hit due to speeding.

    Janjan asked about 3 years ago

    There is currently no plan to install traffic calming measures at this location.

  • As usual, it seems like one problem is being fixed without taking into consideration its full impact on the community. We already do not have the proper road covering, but you will now encourage more traffic without making the changes needed. We are not and will not be on the salting route, but you will still encourage more traffic. We already have issues with speeding and traffic control, but apparently, it is someone else's problem and is not being considered. We pay a large amount of taxes in this particular community with few services offered, and we are continuing to have more people move through this area which equals fewer benefits to living in the area.

    Lori Roy asked about 3 years ago

    The City is not anticipating large increases in traffic on Kalmo Road. The new approaches to the bridge will be paved.

  • COMMENTS: Kalmo Road bridge should be removed completely and tax payers dollars should go towards connecting Main Street East to Notre Dame in Val Caron; so that in the future, the Valley can connect to the Barry Downe/Maley extension via these roads. The road way from MR80 (off Main Street) to Notre Dame in Hanmer should be paved with asphalt (not just tar finished). Part of Notre Dame was paved with asphalt Summer 2020. Kalmo Road/Bodson has constant pot holes on the tar finished surfaces, that reappear within weeks after being filled. The Greater City of Sudbury “considers” Kalmo Road a low traffic area; this was indicated at a City Council meeting attended in 2017. With 1,200+ cars a day, I would think this is much more than low traffic area and merits proper asphalt. Kalmo Road has no road shoulder which results in accidents (many accidents not only bridge related). The shoulder issue should be addressed. Double laning the Kalmo Road bridge will not only increase the traffic flow but will encourage drivers to go faster as they won’t need to slow down for the bridge. The double lane bridge will address some safety concerns, however I believe the funds should go towards improving traffic flow away from residential areas considering the speed presently in the area. (Barry downe/Maley Extension)

    chipndip asked about 3 years ago

    The Barry Downe extension is a potential long-term future project for the City of Greater Sudbury that is currently not funded.

  • We are having problems with excessive speed on Bodson Drive now...Has the city made plans to deter speeders with speed bumps as on Southview Dr in Sudbury?

    Catherine Solski asked about 3 years ago

    There is currently no plan to install traffic calming measures at this location.

Page last updated: 23 Mar 2022, 10:29 AM