Miramichi's Centennial Bridge closed for 3 hours after equipment failure

The Centennial Bridge in Miramichi is closed to all traffic after an elevator used to lift equipment fell on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Miramichi Police Force say the bridge will be closed for about three hours. 

Tanya Greer, the communications director with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said in an email the elevator used to lift equipment through the scaffolding system on the bridge failed and landed on the main deck of the scaffolding.

"The bridge itself was not damaged and no one was injured, however, two transom beams on the scaffolding system were bent and must be replaced. Traffic is being diverted while this work is being completed," she said.

"We hope to have the bridge reopened by 4 p.m."

The Centennial Bridge has been down to one lane during ongoing construction. It is the second year of an $83-million renovation project announced in 2015. The project will take nine years to complete.

Centennial Bridge, opened in 1967, turns 50 years old this year. At the funding announcement two years ago, government officials said the project would ensure the bridge would last another 50 years. 

A  $13-million, three-year rehabilitation project to the bridge was completed in 2014.

The bridge on Route 8, is described as a strategic piece of infrastructure that links northern New Brunswick with the rest of the province.