More than a week after a driver was rescued following the collapse of a bridge in Port Bruce, southeast of St. Thomas, Ont., the construction truck he was driving remains partially submerged.
Central Elgin Mayor David Marr told 980 CFPL on Monday that the town is working with the insurer to remove the truck.
“You could say it’s red tape but I think it’s also everyone being very cautious. They want to make sure this is done in a safe manner,” he explained.
“I’d rather be a little bit slower and do it right than to rush into it.”
Marr added it could take up to two years to replace the bridge and engineers are still looking at both short-term and long-term options.
“These bridges don’t go up overnight so we’ll take a look at how long it will take to put a permanent bridge in. Then we’ll look at other options in the meantime: do we continue on with our detour or are there other options such as a temporary bridge?”
Having a temporary bridge would help with tourists to Port Bruce, and with first responders. One possible option for a temporary bridge is a Bailey bridge, which is a portable pre-fabricated, truss bridge.
The 27-year-old man driving was not injured in the bridge collapse, which occurred days after severe rainfall and melting snow resulted in flooding across southwestern Ontario.
As for the cause of the collapse, Marr said the engineers will be investigating and added that the bridge was said to be in good shape as of its last inspection.