Work to replace the Vaughan Creek covered bridge in St. Martins is expected to begin later this fall, according to provincial officials.
The 85-year-old bridge has been closed for several years after being deemed unsafe for vehicle traffic. A temporary, modular bridge was installed alongside it to allow traffic to continue to flow.
In February, the provincial and federal governments announced funding for four projects, including replacing the covered bridge.
“We’re delighted that that funding is now coming for the Vaughan Creek bridge,” Mayor Bette Ann Chatterton said in a recent phone interview.
The new crossing will be a modern bridge with a wooden housing, mimicking the look of a covered bridge.
Chatterton said she thinks most people in the small community and generally happy with the new design.
“There are always those who think we should keep what’s there, but what we have there now just won’t do for this generation. It certainly worked for the generations when they built it,” she said. “I think to honour it by having the same structure and the same look, I’m really, really pleased with that.”
The new bridge will be raised on both ends to accommodate the rising tides, Chatterton said, and it will be higher to allow RVs and buses to pass through it.
She said the new bridge will also be two lanes instead of one, which will be especially beneficial during tourism season.
“Last summer, we had a great increase in tourism in the area because everyone was staying home. At one point, we had 45 cars backed up at that one little light down there at the harbour,” Chatterton said, referring to the traffic lights at the end of the temporary bridge.
Mélanie Sivret, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said the department is hopeful that all permitting will be in place to allow work to start later this fall.
“This would see the new bridge fully open for traffic during the summer of 2022, with the covered bridge housing being put in place during the off-season (fall of 2022),” Sivret wrote in an email, noting that those dates could change.
Sivret said the total project cost is estimated to be between $3 million and $4 million.
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