Residents fighting for forgotten Florenceville bridge

Hannah Rudderham · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A covered span successful occidental New Brunswick is facing an upriver battle.

But cipher successful powerfulness seems to beryllium paying attention, according to a tiny radical of Florenceville-Bristol residents. 

It doesn't assistance that the operation is overshadowed by a downriver counterpart — the Hartland Covered Bridge — which is known for being the longest covered span successful the satellite and has been undergoing repairs since January.

One lifelong Florenceville-Bristol nonmigratory has tried to rise consciousness astir the partially covered Old Florenceville Bridge, which spans the St. John River.

"We did a petition," said Gordon Hunter. "We got … erstwhile I stopped counting, conscionable implicit 4,600 people."

The Old Florenceville Bridge has been closed to conveyance postulation for4½ years.

A twelvemonth earlier that, Hunter said, conveyance postulation was being diverted implicit the bridge, truthful it came arsenic a astonishment to him when the authorities said the span was unsafe.

"Corrosion connected alloy members successful astir of the sections has rendered the span unsafe for conveyance traffic," Jacob MacDonald, a Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson, wrote successful an email. 

He said the span is among the oldest structures successful the department's inventory.

And portion Hunter wants to spot the span repaired for humanities and convenience purposes, the state says it would beryllium excessively costly.

MacDonald said the estimation is between $25 cardinal and $45 million. He said the span is inactive unfastened to pedestrians.

In his email, MacDonald said the Department of Transportation "remains unfastened to further discussions connected the aboriginal of this structure."

WATCH | Residents privation enactment connected aging covered bridge: 

Dr. Clay Marco, a Florenceville-Bristol nonmigratory and section doctor, has a connection that helium says wouldn't outgo thing but would marque the span a constituent of pridefulness for the community, adjacent if it vehicles inactive couldn't usage it.

"My needs, I think, are reasonably straightforward," helium said.

A motion astatine 1 broadside of the span shows a greenish ellipse astir a pedestrian and bicycle, and different motion shows a crossed-out vehicle. 

But successful beforehand of the factual barriers that artifact vehicles from entering, determination are 2 large orangish signs that accidental "covered span closed." Marco wants them removed.

"Every tourer that comes into municipality fundamentally parks on our Main Street, which is beauteous successful the summertime — the assemblage does a large occupation with flowers. …But [the tourists] go close to our historical span and they privation to instrumentality pictures."

What they get successful their pictures, however, are the 2 orangish signs astir the span being closed.

"I deliberation it's a existent turn-off for radical and a disappointment erstwhile they travel to sojourn our small municipality to spot those orangish signs, particularly twelvemonth aft twelvemonth aft year."

Marco's main anticipation is to simply person the signs taken down, but helium thinks adjacent much could beryllium done aft this happens.

"Like Port Elgin, for example, … has truly turned 1 of their small bridges into a focal gathering constituent for their community, for flea markets, euphony events, each sorts of things, lighting," helium said.

"So it's not lone important for tourists, it's important for each of america to person this precise historical span again being a root of pridefulness for our community, not embarrassment. 

"I don't spot wherefore we can't execute that."

In an email, MacDonald said the placement of the closure signs adheres to mandatory "regulatory requirements." But helium said a caller motion is being made to clarify that it is lone vehicular traffic that isn't permitted.

In his email, MacDonald said the Department of Transportation "remains unfastened to further discussions connected the aboriginal of this structure."

Marco and Hunter whitethorn person antithetic ideas astir bringing the span backmost to life, they some hold that the historical operation is important to the community.

Hunter would besides similar to spot immoderate humanities misconceptions astir the span corrected. 

For example, the motion connected the beforehand of the span and a plaque next to it during the summertime some accidental the span was built successful 1911.

But Hunter argues the day of the archetypal span is overmuch earlier, and helium a newspaper nonfiction talking astir its opening successful 1886. 

The plaque has different inaccuracy, said Hunter.

"Their motion said that the archetypal span burned down, which is acold from true," helium said.

He agrees determination was a occurrence successful the bridge's aboriginal days, but it didn't pain the span down.

Hunter said whenever helium sees idiosyncratic caller successful municipality examining the plaque oregon looking astatine the structure, he'll pass them of the past arsenic helium knows it.

He wishes much could beryllium done for the span successful its existent state.

"They've discontinued keeping the lights connected on it … and they don't region the snowfall successful the winter," helium said. "Sometimes I plow it."

But helium said it's disappointing that determination haven't been immoderate large nationalist shows of enactment for the span since its closure. 

"When I deliberation of different locations successful New Brunswick that had places adjacent down, they managed to signifier nationalist support," helium said.

"Nobody did it here."