New Brunswick starts work on $45M project to replace two bridges along key forestry route
By On-Site Staff
Bridges ConstructionWork to replace a pair of aging bridges on Highway 10 in central New Brunswick is set to begin in the small community of Coles Island.
The province set aside $45 million for the project in April 2018 and has carried out the design and engineering work for the two new bridges, which will cross the Canaan River on the north and south sides on Coles Island. With the preparation complete, the New Brunswick government announced last week the first work crews will be on-site “in the coming days.”
“Replacing the Coles Island Bridges is critical to ensuring the safety of Route 10, one of New Brunswick’s strategic resource corridors,” Bill Oliver, the province’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister, said in a release. “This project will also contribute to our action on climate change. New structures will allow for increased truck payloads, resulting in fewer trips and a reduction of GHG emissions.”
Hwy. 10 is an important route for the province’s forestry industry and the federal government has committed $22 million to the project through its National Trade Corridors Fund. The province will pay the remainder of the costs.
Work on the project will take place in several stages, the first being the construction of two detour bridges. Once these are complete, traffic will be rerouted and the existing spans torn down to make way for the two replacement bridges.
The temporary detour bridges are scheduled to open next year, while construction on the permanent bridges is expected to take up to three years.
