Residents of Rockport are concerned about increased costs and increased risks, now that a bridge on the only route in and out of their community has a new reduced weight limit, and the rehabilitation of the bridge has been removed from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DTI)’s three-year Road Ahead plan.
Rockport sits near the tip of the Maringouin Peninsula, jutting into the Chignecto Basin, and known for its beautiful views of the Bay of Fundy, and popular nearby hiking trail at Slacks Cove. But for some, Rockport is home.
Crow Robichaud says there are nine full time and six part time residents of the area, plus a new residence under construction. “The community is growing,” says Robichaud, “and a lot of us work in Sackville. We’re dependent on this bridge.”
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The Peck’s Cove Bridge crosses a marshy inlet just a few kilometers from Rockport. In April, DTI reduced the weight rating for bridge from 40 tonnes down to 20 tonnes, says Robichaud. And the community’s first concern was fire service.
“They essentially can’t really come across the bridge and give us fire service,” says Robichaud. “They have one engine that will come across.”
Sackville Fire Department chief Craig Bowser says fire suppression abilities on the other side of the bridge have been restricted by the lower weight restriction.
“We do have limited equipment that can cross the bridge,” says Bowser via email. But the department’s tanker truck, which is used to service areas with no access to hydrants, “could not safely cross the bridge due to the current weight restrictions.”
Robichaud says there are insurance implications with the limitations in fire service, and other increased costs for things like septic tank maintenance and construction. such as when it comes to septic tank maintenance.
“We have to hire two trucks,” says Robichaud about septic services, with one truck pumping sewage across the bridge to a second truck. A truckload of gravel to repair Robichaud’s driveway is also too heavy. “The lady building a house right now,” says Robichaud, “she’s pouring her concrete foundation. The trucks are 15 tons empty, 39 tons full, so they can only bring 5000 kilograms of concrete across in one trip.” And that situation is leading to a larger number of trips at the new 20 tonne capacity, something that Robichaud worries is putting further stress on the bridge.
It’s not clear what prompted the reduced weight limit on the bridge, but Robichaud notes that DTI had recently completed road work just on the other side of the bridge, using heavy equipment. It also sees considerable action from tides and ice, she says. High tide “licks the bottom of the bridge” says Robichaud, and in winter, when large boulder-sized pieces of ice come in, standing on the bridge can be frightening. “The whole bridge is just rocking, like just smashing it. And my concern is this could potentially damage the bridge even more.”
Bridge removed from 3-year plan
Robichaud has been in communication with Tantramar mayor Andrew Black and MLA Megan Mitton about the issue. Black has reported to council at least twice on the issue, and Mitton has been in contact with provincial counterparts.
Mitton says the Peck’s Cove Bridge had been on DTI’s radar but she is now concerned that it seems to have dropped off.
“What I’m really concerned about is that Peck’s Cove bridge was slated to be renewed this year,” says Mitton. “Then it got pushed back and was supposed to be done next year. I noticed this spring, when looking at their new plan that was coming out, that it had been removed.”
As Mitton says, the 2023 edition of the province’s Road Ahead plan shows the rehabilitation of Peck’s Cove Bridge slated for 2025/26. The following year, the 2024 plan moved it to 2026/27. And in this year’s edition of the plan, it’s no longer on the list.
“Why has it been removed?” asks Mitton. “There was a reason that they wanted to fix it this year, and it’s because it’s getting old and it’s starting to fail.”
In an emailed statement to CHMA, DTI spokesperson Jacob MacDonald says that a tender “for a rehabilitation or replacement project for the Peck’s Cove bridge is anticipated for 2028.”
“That’s an awful expensive wait for us,” says Robichaud. “And if the bridge does deteriorate even more, then where does that leave us?”
Mitton says planning to tender in 2028 is “a ridiculous timeline.”
“Frankly, I don’t know that the bridge will last until until then,” says the MLA. “It is a constant cycle with DTI that the maintenance and repairs get put off until something becomes an emergency. And we’ve seen this many times all over the province… I don’t want this to become an emergency. I want them to fix it as soon as possible, certainly not in 2028-2029.
DTI’s statement on the project casts some question over what kind of repair or rehabilitation will be in store for the bridge. MacDonald says the project is “in the planning stage; therefore, specifics on scope of work and estimated budget are not available currently.”
He goes on to say, “The structure is located along a coastal road, which is prone to flooding from sea level rise and this will be kept in mind as options for work are considered.”
‘We’d like to be involved’
“We certainly do need to be considering coastal erosion and sea level rise and all of that as we’re renewing infrastructure,” says Mitton. “I’d be open to hearing what their ideas are, but I want to hear them this year and not in in a few years.”
“It’s not an easy problem to solve,” says Robichaud, “but we’d like to be involved and know what’s going on.”
“We want to know what their plans are, and the communication seems to be broken down,” says Robichaud. “When the mayor and the MLA have a difficult time getting answers from [DTI] Minister [Chuck] Chaisson. We’re kind of at a loss where to go. We don’t know what the road ahead is for us.”
