Residents in Shelburne County are wondering why the Town of Lockeport hasn’t made fixing their trestle bridge a priority.
The bridge, which connects a walk trail to the north side of the peninsula, has been closed for around ten months after it was deemed unsafe.
Sinkholes around the tracks on either side of the bridge and deterioration of the wooden structure are to blame.
Darlene MacIntosh heads up an informal group of citizens, asking for more to be done.
“We just feel like the mayor and council need to prioritize and make decisions that are right and not because they’re easy.”
She says the trail helps promote physical activity and is important to the community.
It’s one of her favourite spots as well.
“It’s a place where you actually feel like you’re walking on water, it connects Lockeport to Brighton, and you know, I stop and take a breath and think ‘thank god, I live where I live.’”
A town hall style meeting on the subject is set for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Lockeport says the trestle bridge is not at the top of their priority list.
George Harding says right now they’re looking at ways to improve the causeway which is currently the only way for drivers to get on and off the peninsula.
“With the trestle it is a lower priority, our first priority is to make sure our causeway is viable.”
Council is concerned about sea level rise and the possibility of a wash out of that road.
“We’ve had engineers tell us that with sea rise levels and our storms and tide surges and those kinds of things that we need to raise the causeway.”
Harding says they’re also looking at restoring a former bridge as a way for emergency vehicles to exit the peninsula.
A bridge once existed between Calf Island Road and Bridge Street.
If rebuilt, that bridge would be open to pedestrians year round and gated to vehicles, with the exception of emergency vehicles and first responders.
Since closing the trestle bridge, council has spent over $7,000 on barricades for the closed trestle bridge, which have been destroyed multiple times.
Harding says councillors will attend tomorrow’s meeting and are willing to look into the idea of a community group looking after the bridge.
The meeting takes place July 20 at 7 pm at the Lockeport Recreation Centre.
Story by Brittany Wentzell
Twitter: @BrittWentzell
Email: wentzell.brittany@radioabl.ca
