Springville bridge closure causing delays in first response time
SPRINGVILLE, N.S. — Nearly two years after closing, the Springville bridge remains inaccessible.
The seven-kilometre detour through to the nearest crossing in the nearby hamlet of Bridgeville has become a routine inconvenience for anyone familiar with the area.
But for emergency first responders, the extra time it takes to cross the river is always a concern.
“Five to six minutes doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but when you’re a first responder, five minutes can make a big difference,” said Jason McIntyre, captain of the East River Valley Fire Department, located on Route 343.
With the detour crossing not far from their station, McIntyre says delays caused by the detour mostly arise during emergencies that require mutual aid from the nearby Plymouth department.
“If we have a call on the west side of the river and we have Plymouth coming out with a tanker, then they have to go all the way around,” said McIntyre.
In 2015, the bridge was closed temporarily for minor repairs, which resulted in a reduced weight limit from 20 tonnes to 10. Since then, fire departments operating in the area have been unable to cross the Springville bridge with their tankers.
It’s not only firefighters responding in the area who have to factor in the detour time.
“Sometimes we have an ambulance responding to a call in Sunnybrae coming from as far out as Port Hawkesbury or Truro,” said McIntyre. “It’s happened before where they have come in from Plymouth and the bridge is out so they have to go around to Bridgeville.”
McIntyre also says poor reception doesn’t help matters when responders unfamiliar with the area come to the closed bridge.
“GPS takes them one way and, ‘holy crap, the bridge is closed.’ Then, because the reception isn’t always great, the GPS won’t reset.”
In 2018, inspectors with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure noted movement in one of the bridge abutments and the bridge was closed for safety reasons. At the time, the department could not say when it would reopen.
Recently, TIR told The News that an assessment of the bridge has been completed and an announcement will be made sometime next month.
“Government intends to include the bridge in the upcoming Fire Year Highway Improvement Plan,” said TIR spokesperson Peter McLaughlin. “In the meantime, there are alternate routes available at other local bride crossings of the East River.”