$400K to replace cracked beam on Hartland's covered bridge

The replacement of a single cracked beam on the world's longest covered bridge is estimated to cost at least $400,000.

Opened in 1901, the 343-metre bridge crossing the St. John River has put Hartland, N.B.,on the map andserves asa major tourist attraction in the area.

The crack in the Douglas fir support beam that runs underneath the floor of the bridge was discovered during a recent biannual inspection, saidBurkhardt.

"It's a very large piece of wood and we've discovered a crack in it. So we've got some concerns about the safety of the bridge and we've closed the bridge to all traffic, both for the safety of the public and to protect the bridge," said Tracey Burkhardt, spokesperson with New Brunswick's Transportation Department.

The bridge's closure is a major blow to the community, said former Hartland mayor Neville Hargrove.

"It certainly slows the businesses in town, because they don't get across-the-river traffic," Hargrove said. "You take people on fixed incomes that have to travel anotherthree tofive kilometres to do business —they're not going to do that."

The department is looking into a temporary solution that may allow the bridge to reopen, but a major rehabilitation project will take place in the spring, Burkhardt said.

The department does not yet know how much that project will cost, she said, but the price tagto repairthe current crack is at least $400,000.