Innovative North Bay bridge racking up accolades
A newly redeveloped bridge that closes the gap between North Bay and Nipissing First Nation is racking up accolades.
The Duchesnay Creek Bridge underwent significant redevelopment and those involved in the project were awarded a Northern Ontario Excellence Award for its use of timber.
It’s the third award the bridge has earned.
The Northern Ontario Excellence Award is awarded by the Wood-Works Program of the Canadian Wood Council.
It recognizes wood design and celebrates projects using wood in all types of construction.
"The bridge was selected because the use of timber in bridges is very uncommon,” said Sarah Hicks, of Wood-Works! Ontario
“Of all the bridges in Ontario, fewer than two per cent of them actually use wood. This is a real example of what can be done."
The award was presented to the Ministry of Transportation and Nipissing First Nation by Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota.
"It's a great advancement in the use of sustainable materials in the highway construction industry,” said Matthew Curry of the MTO.
“It’s something I'm hoping to see more of in the future."
"By having projects like this that come to the forefront, people realize how versatile wood is and we're a major manufacturer of it here in Ontario where we produce it," Rota said.
The original timber truss bridge was built in the 1930s and has been designated as a heritage structure. Spanning 74 metres, it had a timber main span, which was the only one of its kind in Ontario.
Initial plans recommended a concrete deck and steel girder assembly. But the decision to pursue a wood option was made to pay homage to the original structure.
The MTO, Miller Northern Paving and Nipissing First Nation all collaborated to get the project built. It was a struggle for the First Nation community to get involved, but it fought hard to be a business partner.
"We've opened up opportunities for us to show just what we can do as business partners and how we can contribute to the local and regional economy,” said Scott McLeod, Nipissing First Nation Chief.
The bridge redevelopment started in late 2019 and was completed last year. It cost roughly $5 million.
"It's one of the greatest projects I've built and I've been doing this for 35 years," said Chris O'Reilly of Miller Northern Paving.
It's the third award the project has received.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.