BC Hydro advises that, effectively immediately, that all vehicles weighing over 15 Tons must avoid using the Brewster Lake Road area that passes over the John Hart Dam. Temporary vehicle weight signage is being placed near the bridge area and on either side of the dam. As part of the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project, the former timber trestle bridge that crossed over the old penstock corridor was replaced with a steel Bailey bridge to allow for heavy construction traffic. The vehicle rating was 70 Tons. BC Hydro just completed a bridge assessment, and due to some road decking deterioration, it has now been derated to 15 Tons. BC Hydro is beginning to plan on the upgrades to the bridge. This will largely be the re-decking the road surface across the steel Bailey bridge. The upgrade work may take place in May or June, and last about a week. The road may need to be closed 24/7 during the repair work. We will advise the community of the road closure dates in advance and update the temporary road closure signage at the dam. Once the bridge repairs are complete, BC Hydro encourages heavily weighted industrial traffic, such as a tandem dump truck, to use alternative routes and not use the Brewster Lake Road that crosses over the dam. Over by the spillway gates section of the dam, traffic congestion and potential incidents may be caused by large vehicles. The upcoming John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade Project is planned to begin in summer 2023, and around that time, the approximate six year road closure to public traffic across the dam will begin.
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