Northeastern Ont. bridge closed for safety reopens, but its future remains uncertain

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The Dean Lake Bridge successful the municipality of Huron Shores disconnected Highway 17 betwixt Blind River and Iron Bridge has reopened, 2 months aft the 100 year-old operation abruptly closed implicit information concerns. 

Engineers person confirmed that the span tin beryllium utilized with a reduced load bounds of six metric tonnes. 

Fire services volition request to proceed to usage a 20-kilometre detour done a backmost road, but different archetypal responders similar constabulary and aesculapian services tin usage the span to entree the area. 

The Dean Lake Bridge is 1 of 2 structures utilized to transverse the Mississaugi Rver. About 100 section residents usage it regular arsenic portion of their commute. 

Huron Shores Chief administrative officer Natashia Roberts says engineers volition request to bash follow-up assessments successful the coming months, including an underwater inspection.

In the meantime, engineers person recommended a strict enforcement of the value bounds connected the bridge. 

"We bash our champion to promote precise constricted postulation there," said Roberts. 

"We've had reports of radical traveling implicit that span erstwhile they shouldn't be. We promote the neighbourhood to effort and bash immoderate small section enforcement."

Limited backing available

Roberts says the municipality volition beryllium moving connected a rehabilitation plan, but warns that obtaining backing could beryllium challenging. 

Previous efforts to onshore immoderate grants with the state oregon designate the span arsenic a practice tract were unsuccessful. 

Huron Shores besides has a batch of infrastructure to maintain, including 13 different bridges. It has a tiny payer basal of astir 1,800 residents. 

"I'm hopeful, but determination isn't a full batch of backing retired determination close now," said Roberts. "Dean Lake Bridge is not straight connected to Highway 17, truthful it doesn't autumn nether connecting links." 

She says "no rocks are near unturned" erstwhile it comes to grants that could assistance rehabilitate the bridge, but worries not each residents person the aforesaid knowing of the situation. 

"The radical who person lived successful the country for rather immoderate clip person a bully knowing of wherever we're at," said Roberts. 

"It's the radical who are caller to the country who whitethorn not person considered that, due to the fact that evidently it's not truly advertised that the span is truthful old."