A Riverview, N.B., man known for surfing the Petitcodiac River tidal bore has released a song that’s about the new bridge, which Melvin Perez says is already giving life back to the river.
Perez has been surfing the tidal bore for years, and on Friday he walked across the new bridge that spans the river he holds so dear.
The new bridge is part of a $61.6-million construction project, which replaced the causeway with a four-lane bridge and widened the river channel.
The river channel is about 175 metres wide, restoring the previously cut-off tidal flow.
Perez wrote the song called ‘The Bridge’ about the new span that he says has set the river free just before the bridge’s official opening on Friday.
Originally from Costa Rica, Perez settled in New Brunswick in 2012 and instantly felt a connection to the river, which he says is showing signs of life since the water has been rerouted under the new bridge.
“The first new weeks I started to see more activity of life than in a whole year,” said Perez, which he describes in his song and music video.
The music video for the song was produced by Colleen Furlotte, which she called the bridge “a real representation of the river finally getting to heal and try to return back to its former glory”
Along with its tidal bore that is also returning to its former glory says Perez, he’s already noticing a rise in water levels in its wave.
“The river it is flowing down downstream free so that rush of water meeting that tidal bore creates more power and more rush,” Perez said.
This means also a better surfing experience, but his love of riding the waves and of writing music still doesn’t override his love of the river itself.