The Mayors of Beaubassin-Est and the Village of Cap-Pele, along with MLA for the riding Jacques LeBlanc, and President of the Chamber of Commerce Albert LeBlanc recently met with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure to discuss the closure of the Kouchibouguac River No. 1 Bridge on Highway 133.
Mayor Ronnie Duguay says Bill Oliver reassured them that the studies are being done on the existing condition of the bridge, but an immediate solution to reopen the bridge will not be considered at this time.
Mayor Serge Leger says they understand the existing detour is causing some travel delays, but public safety is most important.
“He was very receptive to our concerns regarding the importance of the bridge from a tourism, economic development and public safety perspective, while mentioning the importance of this bridge for the people of the region”, says Duguay.
Leger adds, The existing structure is not yet considered safe in terms of road transport because the study is not yet completed.”
The provincial department is studying factors such as the environmental impact and the condition of the existing structure, as well as the potential cost of restoring the bridge…
Kouchibouguac River No. 1 Bridge was closed to traffic on September 20th, .because the bridge was found to be deteriorating after Hurricane Dorian.
Detour signs have been put into place, redirecting traffic to Highway 15.
