Covered bridge across Hammond River to be replaced with modular one

A 104-year-old covered bridge over the Hammond River will be taken down and replaced by a modular bridge,the government announced Friday.

Work on the new bridge near French Village in southern New Brunswick will start soon, and the link should be open to traffic in January 2018, a news release said.

In late July, community members learned that the covered bridge, severely damaged byan excavator doing work on the deck, was in worse shape than the government expected.

In talking to residents, it became quite clear that restoring this transportation link took priority over preserving the covered bridge.- Bill Fraser, transportion minister

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister BillFraser said he would let people know this week what would be done about the bridge.

At the time, some residents urged him to try to save it, and an engineerargued it could be fixed.

The decision to get rid of the old Hammond River Bridge No. 2 was difficult, Fraser said, but this is what residents in the area wanted.

"In talking to residents, it became quite clear that restoring this transportation link took priority over preserving the covered bridge," he said in a statement.

• Engineer's cheap bridge fix nixed by government
• 'It's a shame': Residents want Hammond River covered bridge saved

The bridge has been closed to traffic since an excavator violating weight restrictions fell through the floorboard.

Repair workuncovered significant wood rot after steel was removed from the bottom of the bridge structure. The structural integrity of the bridge was no longer safe, the government said.

The province said it had two options forinstallingthe modular bridge.

It could set one up next to theexisting covered bridge orplace the modular bridge on the "existing seats" of the covered bridge. The province chose the later, which was also the residents' choice, Fraser said.

• Discovery of wood rot forces indefinite closure of Hammond River covered bridge

The province said it was premature to assign a cost to theproject, "as the work will only start in the coming days," Jeff Hull, spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said in an email.

"We will have a better idea of final costs at the end of the project in January 2018," he said.

"What is important today is that the provincial government will restore a vital transportation link across the Hammond River at French Village."

It will also work with the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture and the local community to commemorate the covered bridge, which was built in 1913.

"The mandate of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is to provide safe, reliable transportation links to the travelling public," said Fraser.

"That said, we also recognize the cultural importance of covered bridges as heritage icons."