Whoop-Up Drive repairs finally close to finish line

By Lethbridge Herald on November 8, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

A fully functional and open Whoop-Up Drive bridge is almost a reality after months of planning for major repairs under the bridge, which will begin next week. 

After a flatbed trailer carrying heavy equipment hit the bottom of the bridge on Aug. 6, damaging four of six steel girders, two of them badly, the repairs required extensive planning and co-ordination.

Joel Sanchez, director of Infrastructure Services, said Friday that after months of careful planning and preparation, repairs are finally going to begin next week. He said that since the beginning, public safety and asset integrity was prioritized over the speed of repairs. 

“This job couldn’t be rush. We have taken the time to find the right materials, secure qualified contractors and ensure every worker is properly trained and certified,” said Sanchez. 

He said it has been a challenging process because only a few contractors in Canada are able to perform this kind of work and some of the materials needed to repair the bridge were difficult to secure.

“We also had to plan carefully around electrical wires that run under the bridge inside the girders to make sure everything goes smoothly and safely,” said Sanchez. 

He said crews have practice how to do the repairs off-site before starting the real work next week, as part of a pre-qualification process and specialized training and certification.

“The final repairs schedule is designed to keep traffic moving as much as possible. The speed limits will stay as they are now, and Botterill Bottom Road will be closed to the public while we perform the repair work,” said Sanchez. 

He said all repairs are expected to be completed by Dec. 12 if the weather allows. He explained that in some cases the repairs are going to be simple, but in others like girder number 4, under the inner lane of Eastbound Whoop-Up Drive, will require extra work. 

“The weight reduction remains in place for westbound traffic, but snowplows are part of the contingency plan, so we don’t expect any delays or any issues with the snow plowing if we get snow in the next few days,” said Sanchez. 

In terms of the cost, Sanchez said they do not have an answer yet as they need to wait until the work is finished before finalizing a price, in case that there are some elements that need to be added. 

“We’re working with our legal department and our insurance companies in order to define how this is going to translate. But our intention is that this should not affect taxation,” said Sanchez.

He said after repairs are completed, the bridge will go back to the same state as before the accident on Aug. 6 and it will be back to normal function, speeds will change back, and all lanes will open. 

“We are close to the finish line, and we look forward to reopening the bridge fully and safely for all the residents in the community,” said Sanchez. 

The repairs will follow this schedule, weather permitting:

• Nov. 10: Erect shoring towers under the bridge. Botterill Bottom Road South will be closed to the public for the duration of all repairs.

• Nov. 12 – 18: Repair girder 3 under left westbound lane. Current traffic measures remain in place.

• Nov. 20 – 27: Repair girder 2 under middle westbound lane. Middle lane will close, and left lane will reopen. This maintains two westbound lanes. When this repair is complete, all three westbound lanes are open.

• Nov. 28 – December 10: Repair girder 4 under left eastbound lane, which will remain closed. When this repair is complete, all three eastbound lanes are open.

• Dec. 10 – 12: Repair girder 1. No lane closures are required for this repair.

Work is scheduled on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.