Residents of a small New Brunswick community gathered Monday to protest the dismantling of a century-old covered bridge.
New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs and MLA Gary Crossman were joined by more than dozen people to denounce the province’s decision not to rebuild the heritage structure.
“We have 59 of these bridges around the province. They’ve lasted 104 years and we’re saying we can’t, we don’t have the technology today to replace something that was built 104 years ago?” said Higgs.
The Hammond River Bridge in French River, N.B. was badly damaged when an excavator plunged through the deck in October.
Initially, the provincial government had planned to repair the bridge, but recently discovered more damage and wood rot than expected.
Crews started dismantling the bridge last week so a steel modular can be installed.
However, not everyone attending Monday’s rally was demanding a return to the wooden structure. Some residents say they simply want a safe bridge back.
“I just want a bridge up there so we can go back and forth,” said Gary Arseneault. “It’s not just going to work too, it’s safety.”
A crane is expected to arrive soon to start tearing the bridge down in segments. The cost of the new concrete span is pegged at $2.5 million.
