Aging Windsor Forks bridge might just nail you

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com



Sangster’s Bridge, one of the few remaining one-way bridges left in Hants County, is in need of more than repairs. Councillor Ann MacDonald says it should be replaced.

“When I came to the area 30 years ago I thought the bridge was quaint and pretty, and it still is,� MacDonald said.

The bridge is a well-known connector between Windsor Forks and Falmouth. Growth in both communities has resulted in increased traffic over the years. MacDonald says the bridge wasn’t designed to withstand the additional strain.

“Thirty years ago traffic over the bridge wasn’t as heavy as it is now. When you start to bring heavy equipment across the bridge, along with added traffic from a growing residential community and tourists who have no idea it’s one-way, then there are going to be problems.�

Falmouth resident Barry Fox has been concerned about conditions on the bridge for the past few months. He says that nails are jutting out of the wooden surface and the wooden guardrail has snapped.

Recently, he was called to assist a young man who had punctured a tire while driving over the bridge in the direction of Falmouth.

“I’m very concerned about the safety of the bridge,� Fox said. “I’ve been waiting over a month to see if anyone was going to come and repair it.�



‘News to me’

Nova Scotia Transportation and Public Works area manager Dave Kelly says people don’t call if they see damage to roadways or bridges. “We haven’t received any complaints about the bridge; this is news to me.

“We will certainly look at the problem right away. We don’t want people having accidents or damaging their vehicles.�

MacDonald says it has been an uphill battle to find funding to replace the current bridge with a two-lane structure. Her efforts mimic the struggle experience by Councillor Pineo when she fought to have the Manaway Bridge replaced several years ago. That bridge has been replaced and MacDonald hopes to have the same success in Windsor Forks.

“The bottom line is money,� she said. “There may be some provincial help, but what we really need is federal funding as well. “

MacDonald said that the twinning of Highway 101 has taken priority over smaller projects.

Kelly reports that the bridge has since been examined by Transportation and Public Works and the offending nails have been removed.