Northeastern Ont. bridge closed for safety reopens, but its future remains uncertain
About a hundred people used the structure daily as part of their commute in the Huron Shores area
The Dean Lake Bridge in the municipality of Huron Shores off Highway 17 between Blind River and Iron Bridge has reopened, two months after the 100 year-old structure suddenly closed over safety concerns.
Engineers have confirmed that the bridge can be used with a reduced load limit of six metric tonnes.
Fire services will need to continue to use a 20-kilometre detour through a back road, but other first responders like police and medical services can use the bridge to access the area.
The Dean Lake Bridge is one of two structures used to cross the Mississaugi Rver. About 100 local residents use it daily as part of their commute.
Huron Shores Chief administrative officer Natashia Roberts says engineers will need to do follow-up assessments in the coming months, including an underwater inspection.
In the meantime, engineers have recommended a strict enforcement of the weight limit on the bridge.
"We do our best to encourage very limited traffic there," said Roberts.
"We've had reports of people traveling over that bridge when they shouldn't be. We encourage the neighbourhood to try and do some little local enforcement."
Limited funding available
Roberts says the municipality will be working on a rehabilitation plan, but warns that obtaining funding could be challenging.
Previous efforts to land some grants with the province or designate the bridge as a heritage site were unsuccessful.
Huron Shores also has a lot of infrastructure to maintain, including 13 other bridges. It has a small taxpayer base of about 1,800 residents.
"I'm hopeful, but there isn't a whole lot of funding out there right now," said Roberts. "Dean Lake Bridge is not directly connected to Highway 17, so it doesn't fall under connecting links."
She says "no rocks are left unturned" when it comes to grants that could help rehabilitate the bridge, but worries not all residents have the same understanding of the situation.
"The people who have lived in the area for quite some time have a good understanding of where we're at," said Roberts.
"It's the people who are new to the area who may not have considered that, because obviously it's not really advertised that the bridge is so old."