Duchesnay Creek bridge reopens after two year closure
Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod cut the ribbon Friday morning, making the Duchesnay Creek bridge officially open for vehicle traffic.
After more than two years of detours and inconvenient travel for those wanting to access North Bay from Nipissing First Nation, Chief Scott McLeod says it’s a big milestone to have the bridge open again.
"There’s been a lot of anticipation to get this bridge reopened. Not just from my community, but from the North Bay community," McLeod said.
“People are happy that they can take their shortcut in, and for our businesses in the community, it means a lot, because the quick access to our retailers was basically stymied because the road changed directions.”
Nipissing First Nation partnered with Miller Paving for the construction of the project.
Officials with Miller Paving told CTV News the project cost $12 million and was fully funded by the provincial government.
"The project was delayed slightly due to the supply of the material," said Miller Paving President Francois Vachon.
"The bridge came from British Columbia, was transported to Quebec to get treated, was then shipped back to Washington state to get put together. So there was lots of moving parts because it’s a special bridge, and due to COVID(-19) there was some delay."
The first Duchesnay Creek Bridge was built in 1937, but Chief McLeod said the history of the bridge goes back to the 1600s, as Indigenous peoples crossed the creek daily before there was a bridge.
"This is the first big opportunity that my community has had with the province of Ontario to show the type of work we can do," he said.
It is now the only timber laminated bridge in Ontario and has received designation as a heritage structure from the province.
"I’ve often told our neighbouring politicians when Nipissing First Nation does good, the surrounding area does good," McLeod said.
The bridge will only be open for a brief period.
It is expected to be closed intermittently come September when construction crews continue work on stage two and stage three of the project.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.