ATV group glad to have multi-use trail bridge
Digby County ATV Club wants to call structure Flat Iron Cross
Response to the Digby area’s new multi-use trail bridge has been good and the bridge seems to be used quite a bit, says a spokesperson for the Digby County ATV Club.
The bridge, which crosses Highway 101 near Exit 26, was officially opened during a ceremony held Sept. 29 of last year.
“A lot of the time you drive by, there’s walkers going across it and four-wheelers and the odd horse,” said Keith Comeau, president of the Digby County ATV Club.
Construction of the bridge – which the club wants to call The Flat Iron Cross – took longer than expected, but Comeau says now that it’s in place, he and fellow ATV club members are glad to have it.
“It’s a lot safer than it was coming down and going across the highway there,” he said.
“When they were building it (people) were saying we needed doctors more than we needed a trail bridge, but one never had anything to do with the other,” he said. “It was a safety issue (with) us crossing the highway and it was a legal issue too. Now that that’s been taken care of, it’s an awesome structure.”
Impressed with the number of people already using the bridge, he said he expects more to make use of it in the future and he expects the local economy will benefit from the visitors the bridge will help attract to the area.
“The Town of Digby was never open to ATVs before,” Comeau said, “and now they welcome us, so we can go right into the old train station, which gives us restaurants to go to and shopping, so I imagine more people from away will come now and use it.”
Use of the bridge will slow down during the winter, he said, given most people prefer to be out on the trails when it’s warmer, but he expects to see some people crossing the bridge during the winter months too.
As for the name his club hopes to give the bridge – Flat Iron Cross – Comeau said approval for the name is being sought from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. As this story was being written, the club had yet to hear back from the province.
The Digby County ATV Club had 88 members as of the end of 2018, ranging in age from 16 to 78. The club had just 25 members when Comeau became president three years ago.
Asked about the club’s recent growth, he said the previous president had much on his plate. Having various activities has helped spur interest in the club, Comeau said.
“You have trail-clearing parties, which gets people out, and you have fun runs, which gets people out,” he said. “They see the club doing stuff and they want to join.” An opening ceremony for the Digby area’s new trail bridge was held early last fall.