A metal beam gave way under the Wharf Street sidewalk. The city fenced it off
The City of Victoria has closed part of the sidewalk on the west side of Wharf Street after a structural beam beneath it failed.
The closure sits outside 1208 Wharf St., near Yates, in front of the Hartwig Court building. A deteriorated metal beam can be seen hanging below the walkway. That's because this isn't a normal sidewalk poured into the ground. Underneath is an old undersidewalk basement that extends about 20 feet down, leaving a large void where the beam used to hold weight.
For roughly a week, fencing blocked the entrances to businesses inside Hartwig Court. Tammy Flynn, who owns Catawumpus Fudge and Funk, said she lost about half her business before the closed section was trimmed back and her doorway reopened Friday morning. The timing stings during peak tourist season.
Cyclists are being asked to dismount through the shared stretch of bike lane while pedestrians are rerouted around the closure. Vehicle traffic is unaffected. There's no timeline yet for reopening.
