Today, Transportation and Public Works Minister Ron MacKinley, along with Tyne Valley-Linkletter MLA Paula Biggar and Tyne Valley Community Chair Kevin Kadey cut the ribbon on the new Tyne Valley Bridge. The $900 thousand project replaced the old bridge, which was subject to weight restrictions and had reached the end of its service life.
“This project is another part of government’s $510 million, 5 year stimulus funding initiative announced last December in the capital budget,” says Minister MacKinley. “Much of that money will be used to repair and replace aging rural infrastructure, and improve the quality and safety of our roads and bridges.”
Work began on the project in early May. The new bridge is a pre-cast, three sided, concrete arch, with timber abutments. The design is a major improvement over the old bridge; it’s longer by about three meters with improved sidewalks for better pedestrian access.
“The MLA for the area, Paula Biggar, has been extremely helpful over these last few months,” says Minister MacKinley. “She was crucial in receiving community support for the project, which was an inconvenience for residents of Tyne Valley and surrounding communities. But in the end the community has a better and safer structure to carry traffic.”