MLA wants answers about local bridge

Mira Gut will be getting a new bridge but the local MLA and residents want to know when.

Alfie MacLeod, MLA for Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg, recently questioned Transportation Minister Lloyd Hines in the legislature about the status of the bridge, which was removed last year.

“Last year, when I asked him this question, he told me that at that time, an in-depth engineering study (was) under way as to how to fix the bridge,” MacLeod said in the legislature. “I wonder if the minister could provide an update on that in-depth engineering study.”

Hines responded by saying there is a commitment to that repair.

“The house should understand that that was a railway bridge at one point, when it was built, and it was converted to a highway bridge later on,” he responded. So, it’s a bit of a hybrid in terms of what’s happening.”

Hines said the key area is the involvement of the federal government in terms of the transportation access on the water.

“We’re working with them and that will feed into the information that we will need for the design.”

MacLeod also asked when the proposal for Nav Canada was submitted so that people can understand why the timeline of fixing the bridge is so long.

“I talked to my people this week and they are working with Nav Canada to design the kind of access that is going to be required because there are fishing boats that go through there,” Hines responded.

Meanwhile Main-a-Dieu resident Ken Wadden said the community wants and needs the bridge.

“Everyone here would like to see it back as soon as possible, it’s too much out of everyone’s way to backtrack and drive around.”

Wadden said he understands the issue is whether or not it will be a swing bridge to allow boats to pass through. However, if cost is a factor, maybe there are other options.

“Build it high enough, let their boats take their aerials off so they can get under the bridge.

“The quicker they can get this bridge and put it in, the better. We’ve got the summer tourists coming.”

As well Wadden said it is causing hardships.

“As it is now the school buses and ambulances have to go quite a distance to detour around it and that’s unacceptable.”

Marla MacInnis, spokesperson for the Transportation Department, said the old structure has been removed.

“We are investigating all options regarding replacement and don’t have a timeline at this point to share.”