Niagara Region has announced that the project to replace the St. Paul Street West CNR bridge (Regional Road 81) in St. Catharines is complete and has reopened a full year ahead of schedule.

The bridge, which spans the Canadian National Railway (CNR) tracks, was replaced as part of the larger GO Station Precinct project, which has combined the scope of work of four projects that Niagara Region, CNR and the City of St. Catharines are sharing. Niagara Region is leading the project because of its close relation to the St. Catharines Train Station redevelopment into a multi-model transit hub.

Built in 1922, St. Paul bridge underwent an extensive inspection, which concluded that it needed to be replaced immediately. Work, including demolition, started in 2024 followed by the bridge replacement.

Highlights of the new structure include: two 3.5m-wide vehicle lanes and 1.5m-wide bike lanes in both directions, and a connection from St. Paul to a one-way entrance to the GO Station via Great Western Street.

The new bridge references some design elements of the previous structure, such as mimicking the lattice and post design from the original bridge railings leading down toward Shickluna Street.

The region worked with the bridge owner, CNR, and several other partner organizations during the construction process.