ST. MARY’S — Two bridges crucial to public safety, access and economic development in the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s are slated for major overhauls or replacement with key work to begin as early as next year, according to the provincial department of Public Works.
“This is just great news,” Warden James Fuller told The Journal last week, following an appearance by Public Works area manager Basil Pitts at the municipality’s committee of the whole (COTW) meeting on Jan. 7.
The spans – the Archibald Creek Bridge on Highway 7 and the Silver Bridge near Glenelg – are “two bridges the municipality has been worried about,” Fuller said. “It’s great news that these important structures are going to be addressed.”
In an interview, Pitts said both projects are provincial work, with no municipal funding involved, adding that cost estimates for the projects were not yet available. “We have them on our five-year plan,” Pitts said. “Archibald is ‘27-28 and Silver is ‘28-29.”
Fuller said council had asked Pitts to attend the COTW meeting specifically to discuss roads and bridges and to outline provincial priorities affecting the municipality. He noted that Archibald Creek Bridge – located at the intersection of Highway 7 and Highway 211 – and Silver Bridge, also referred to as the Silver’s Pools bridge on Highway 348, have been on the municipality’s radar for some time.
“A lot of people are concerned about it,” referring to Archibald, “because you can see through it in spots.” He noted that the Silver Bridge is also aging and in need of replacement. “It’s old. It has had a long, happy life and needs retirement.”
He added that the condition of the retaining wall along the St. Mary’s River near the Silver Bridge has also been an issue, with Public Works planning to address it using natural materials rather than concrete to prevent runoff into the river.
Fuller said addressing the condition of the bridges is essential not only for public safety but for the long-term economic health of the area, including tourism and business development. “Archibald is on a major artery through the municipality,” he said. “In order to have a vibrant tourism or business atmosphere, you have to have the infrastructure and the access to get here.”
Pitts said bridge assessments are handled by a bridge engineer based in Sydney, while his role as area manager focuses on maintenance operations. Larger construction projects fall under a separate construction manager.
He noted that Public Works prioritizes projects using a standard planning process and considers input from municipalities when identifying needs. “If it’s a request from them, it’s certainly a need,” he said.
That, Fuller said, is reassuring. “We called him in, and he laid it out for us. They’re looking seriously at our bridges. They’re on the slate.”
