Funding announced for rural and northern Ontario bridge projects

Federal, provincial, municipal and First Nations governments have combined to provide funding for two bridge infrastructure projects in northeastern Ontario.

In the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation community, Bridge #13 will be rehabilitated, which will replace the deck and underlying structure and include waterproofing, upgrading of bridge approaches and paving.

Elgin County will see the replacement of the Port Bruce Bridge with a two-lane, 77 metre bridge with sidewalks and cycling lanes. The project will facilitate more active transportation, restore permanent access across Catfish Creek, and provide safer travel for residents and visitors.

The Government of Canada is investing over $3.1 million in the projects while the Province of Ontario is contributing over $1.8 million.

“This announcement is exciting news for Elgin County,” said Warden Duncan McPhail, County of Elgin, in a media release. “For our community, the collapse of the Port Bruce Bridge presented a number of challenges including safety, logistics and the movement of traffic over Catfish Creek. For our Council, this costly infrastructure failure has made it challenging to plan for competing priorities. Elgin County is not only celebrating the financial support that we will receive through this program, but we are celebrating what happens when different orders of government partner to respond to the needs of our citizens.”

On Tuesday, July 16, 2019, the County of Elgin hosted a Public Information Centre on the Port Bruce Bridge Replacement Project, with a presentation by consulting engineering firm K. Smart Associates Ltd.