New Mira Gut bridge links community again
“It means that we’re not a community divided anymore.”
Don Burns Lifelong Mira
Gut resident
MIRA GUT — Don Burns says he’s thrilled that his community is once again connected, thanks to a new bridge that crosses the Mira River.
On Friday afternoon, work on the span wrapped up, allowing people to travel across the famed river where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at the popular Mira Gut beach.
“It means that we’re not a community divided anymore,” said Burns, 82, a lifelong Mira Gut resident, who lives just down the road from the new bridge.
During a walk along the structure Tuesday, Burns praised the quality of the construction.
“I think it’s fantastic. To me, this is the Rolls Royce of bridges, really and truly. Everything is extra strong, and it can’t rust — every nut and bolt is galvanized and look at the size of the steel — it’s massive,” he said. “We needed a bridge desperately and they finally came through and in fine style.”
OLD BRIDGE UNSAFE
The project was years in the making.
In 2017, the 140-year-old single-lane swing bridge was torn down after engineers declared it was unsafe. Work to replace it with a two-lane bridge that also has a sidewalk began in June 2021. Nova Scotia public works communications adviser Deborah Bayer said the final price tag was $6.525 million.
Cape Breton Regional Municipality District 8 Coun. James Edwards represents the area. He said the reopening of the scenic seaside Marconi Trail that runs from Glace Bay to Louisbourg is great for locals and tourists alike, as well as fishermen who had to travel an additional 20 minutes making their way from ports along the eastern side of the island.
“Our residents are just elated that the bridge has reopened and it’s reuniting their communities from Mira Gut out to Catalone and Main-a-Dieu and Brickyard out to the Mira River Provincial Park,” said Edwards, who lives in nearby Homeville. “Already I’ve noticed an increase on our road going from Homeville to Mira Gut and Catalone Lake and Bateston because a lot of people from the Glace Bay area have cottages out that way, plus it’s a great thing for people who want to go to the Mira River Provincial Park and the beach.”
TAKING THE LEAP
The new bridge has also already become popular with teenage beachgoers.
Bennett MacIntyre, a member of the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service, said he’s seen several people jumping off the bridge.
“It didn’t take long for people to climb up there and start to jump off and having endeavours that we do not approve of and definitely advise against. But there’s definitely been a few already and thankfully no injuries,” he said, noting that the depth of the water can vary depending on the tides and there are dangerous currents. “According to some lobster fishermen, it can be up to 36 feet deep under there but with the tide, it can change quite a bit and there’s a lot of shallow parts and a lot of shallow areas, and because of that it makes jumping off really dangerous. Also, there’s a really strong current that can sweep you out just in a matter of seconds — it definitely poses a danger and it’s really not good if something did happen.”
It also draws the attention of lifeguards away from the ocean side of the bridge where the vast majority of people come to frolic in the sand and surf.
“Having to worry about the bridge can take our attention away from the beach — especially if somebody is climbing up there, which has happened before. It distracts us and takes our attention away from our main supervised area, so it becomes a little bit of a problem and a little bit of a hassle when people start going up there.”
Meanwhile, there will be an official bridge reopening ceremony on the Hornes Road side of the bridge Friday at 1 p.m. The public is invited to attend. In the event of inclement weather, the event will take place at the Bateston Athletic Pensioners and Seniors Club.