Gannons Narrows Bridge closing for repairs after being damaged
Tall truck hit metal truss bridge and drove off, which will force closure for two to three weeks
The Gannons Narrows Bridge in Ennismore will be closed for two to three weeks this spring for repairs after a too-tall truck used the bridge and damaged it.
The metal truss bridge on Blackpool Road that spans the channel between Buckhorn and Pigeon lakes was built in 1955 and last rehabilitated in 2019.
County council voted at a virtual meeting Wednesday to do the repairs this spring — but they also learned it will mean bridge closures.
County infrastructure manager Peter Nielsen said details will still need to be firmed up regarding whether the bridge will be open evenings after the contractors finish their workdays.
Selwyn Township Mayor Andy Mitchell asked Nielsen to report those details back to council soon, adding that it would be “frustrating” for motorists to not be able to use the bridge in the evenings when the workers are gone.
“It (a closure) is going to be disruptive to residents — and hopefully, if things improve — to tourist traffic as well,” he said.
Council also heard Wednesday there was never a police report when the truck damaged the bridge: it was the Trent Lakes fire chief who noticed the damage and reported it to county staff in December.
“It’s unclear when the impact actually took place — we can only speculate when it happened,” Nielsen said.
Structural engineers examined the bridge, he said, and advised that while there’s no immediate structural concerns the county ought to do the repairs as soon as possible.
That’s why council voted to use bridge repair specialists and engineers they’ve used before rather than set up a competitive bid process (which Nielsen said could potentially lengthen the project by months).
Council is hiring Larsen Brothers Ltd. (a bridge repair firm in Baltimore in Northumberland County) to do the work
for $190,000 plus HST.
The county will pay with money received from the provincial government through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (the county’s grant this year is $523,622).
Although the county has insurance for its bridges, a county staff report explains that it only covers those up to 31 metres in length (Gannons Narrows Bridge is more than 100 metres long).
But acting county CAO Sheridan Graham said the county may still be able to try to recoup costs through insurance if they can identify the vehicle’s driver.
Anyone who saw a truck pulled over near the bridge is asked to contact the county, according to the staff report.
It’s likely that the driver would have been aware they hit the bridge, the report explains, and would have stopped to inspect the condition of their vehicle, trailer and load.
Anyone with any information can offer it confidentially by emailing pwinfo@ptbocounty.ca or by calling 705-775-2736.