JAMES RIVER BRIDGE, Alta. — Residents who live near a tiny village 16 kilometres north of Sundre are worried for the future of their community if it loses the bridge it’s named after.
The concrete supports are failing underneath the 66-year old crossing in the unincorporated community of James River Bridge. The span could be unsafe within three years.
Once it fails its annual inspection, Clearwater County council will either vote to save or close it.
“We’re going to do everything we can,” said community spokesperson, Judy Bysterveld.
“We – as a community – feel neglected.”
The bridge over the James River is one of 175 crossings and large culverts in Clearwater County that needs fixing over the next two decades.
County council is grappling with a $90-million dollar bridge deficit, which the Alberta Government is no longer funding.
“When you have that many bridges, we’re not going to be able to fix all of them, even in the next 15 years,” said Reeve Pat Alexander.
It would only cost about $290,000 in repairs to buy the bridge another decade of life. But for now, Clearwater County council won’t sink any more money into it.
About 500 vehicles travel over the bridge each day. They are mostly farmers and oil and gas workers going to and from the larger town of Sundre.
Area farmers often use it to move cattle and large pieces of farm equipment across the river.
Residents say closing the aging bridge will drive increased traffic and potentially more collisions onto nearby Highway 22, which runs north-south between the TransCanada Highway near Cochrane and the Yellowhead Highway west of Edmonton.
“If you get your farm equipment moving out onto the highway, that is going to be horrendous for everyone involved,” Bysterveld said.
There are also concerns closing the bridge would hurt evacuation and ambulance response times.
The next-closest crossing over the James River is about two kilometres away.
An oil and gas operator responsible for over a hundred sour gas wells in the area says detouring would add 15 minutes to his response time if there is a blow-out.
“Worst case scenario is a fairly big sour gas leak,” said Bob, who didn’t wish to give his last name. “It will kill you.”
“The longer things flow, the more danger there is for the public — and it is a fairly populated area,” he added. “That bridge needs to stay there.”
If the bridge is closed, it could also spell the end for the James River Bridge country store, which Betty Christensen and her family have owned for decades.
Christensen’s business has finally recovered after the 2013 flood wiped out another bridge in the area, cutting off traffic and customers for several months. She fears it will happen again.
“This is the heart of the community and they don’t want to see us leave,” Christensen said.
Residents plan to gather Thursday evening at the community hall to organize efforts to save the bridge.
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