Residents in southeast New Brunswick are growing more frustrated with what they say is a lack of communication from the provincial government about the Kouchibouguac River Bridge No. 1 in Cap-Pelé.
The aging bridge was eventually closed after post-tropical storm Dorian made landfall in early September after part of the road was washed away.
“On Sept. 20, the bridge was closed due to structural concerns caused by aging, weathering and damage inflicted by hurricane Dorian,” the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said in a news release Friday.
“Structural issues included the significant loss of concrete from the underside of the deck at critical areas which directly impact the strength of the bridge.”
READ MORE: Cap-Pelé business losing money due to bridge closure after Hurricane Dorian
Residents say the bridge was reduced to one lane immediately after the storm, but it was eventually shut down completely while the province comes up with a plan.
“What’s wrong with it?” asks Alexandre Hachey, a local resident. “How long is it going to take to fix it?”
Despite many detour signs, locals say many people seem to miss them or don’t realize they can’t get across the bridge.
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With New Brunswick’s first snowfall of the season in the books, road maintenance is another sore spot.
“Are we going to be the last ones being plowed?” said Hachey.
While locals certainly know about the detour, it doesn’t make driving around it any easier, especially with work schedules in the wintertime.
“That 10 minutes (detour) more, when the roads are terrible is like half an hour more, because you just drive like 30-40, so that’s a big impact for me,” says Jolaine Zoé St-Coeur, who works at a daycare.
But in a small community like this, “all kinds of rumours are circulating,” says Louis Melanson, a local resident who is searching for answers from the province.
“On top of having the inconvenience of having a detour, we are aware that any kind of emergency vehicle would take at least 15-20 additional minutes to reach a situation where minutes do count,” he says.
In a statement sent by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Friday, Minister Bill Oliver says they’ve met with Shediac, Beaubassin East and Cap-Pelé MLA Jacques LeBlanc and other community leaders, and that they’re looking at next steps.
“This includes reviewing the possibility of using a short-term structure, like a modular bridge,” the statement says.
He says they’ll communicate with the public “when appropriate.”
According to the statement, “structural issues included the significant loss of concrete from the underside of the deck at critical areas which directly impact the strength of the bridge.”
A community-organized meeting was scheduled for Nov. 5, but residents cancelled it after hearing no one from the province would attend.
Another meeting is scheduled for Dec. 2.
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