Miramichi bridge to get $83M in upgrades over 9 years

Miramichi's Centennial Bridge will get nearly $83 million in upgradesover the next nine years, through provincial and federal funding, officials announced on Monday.

It comes on the heels of a $13-million, three-year rehabilitation project that ended last fall.

Transportation Minister RogerMelanson described the 50-year-oldbridge as a "strategic piece of infrastructure that links northern New Brunswick with the rest of the province and the country."

"We can rehabilitate this bridge to expand it's life 50 years or plus and I think it's the right thing to do.I think it's a good investment," he said, adding that itsrenewal will help stimulate job creation and economic activity.

Work this year will includestrengthening and repairs of the northern spans and the main centre span, as well as painting. It is scheduled to begin this summer.

"I am thrilled that the rehabilitation of this critical piece of local infrastructure will soon be under way,"Miramichi MP Tilly O'Neill Gordon said in a statement.

"The Centennial Bridge not only links the communities of Miramichi, but is a key component of New Brunswick's transportation system and the social and economic progress of the entire region."

The province is investing$44.2 million through the strategic infrastructure initiative, while the federal government is contributingup to $38.6 million under the New Building Canada Plan.