4 years later, frustrated commuters still waiting for Beaver Dam Bridge repair

For years, travellers on Route 101 in New Brunswick have found themselves waiting for a broken crossing over the South Rusagonis River to be brought back to size.  

Since 2021, when the province reduced the crossing in Beaver Dam to one lane, commuters between Fredericton and several communities to the south, including Tracy, Fredericton Junction, Central Blissville and Hoyt, have had to wait their turn at a set of timed traffic lights.

"I'm sick of it, tired of it," said commuter Christina Graves. "It's annoying. How long is this going to go on? It's been too long." 

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says the bridge, built in 1937, needs to be replaced.  

In the meantime, the department has installed a pre-fabricated, single-lane Bailey bridge on top of the old bridge to allow traffic to get across the South Rusagonis.

Bailey bridges are temporary structures, normally brought as fixes after washouts or bridge damage. But in this case, the temporary fix has been in place for more than four years, frustrating drivers who depend on the crossing. 

"It really slows down the traffic during the mornings and afternoons," said Chris Knowles, a daily commuter. "And it's a hazard. People don't follow the lights, and there's two turns right at the end of the bridge. It's very dangerous." 

WATCH | A bridge repair taking far too long: 

Beaver Dam Bridge has waited for repairs since 2021 — and motorists have waited with it

1 day ago

Duration 1:49

It's been years since the Beaver Dam Bridge south of Fredericton was reduced to a single lane, and commuters are frustrated nothing has been done to repair it.

One recent day, several drivers, including logging truckers, could be observed running the timed lights on the bridge. 

"I got a ticket running the red," said Zach Vanthournout, a beef farmer living near Fredericton Junction. "First ticket in 43 years." 

He said he'd like to see the crossing finally restored, but he's not hopeful it will happen anytime soon. 

"Traffic still flows, so they're going to let this go as long as they can," Vanthournout said. "That's just my opinion." 

And he's right that it won't be reopened to two lanes of traffic anytime soon. The province hasn't even put the job out to tender yet. 

On Monday, CBC News requested an interview with someone at the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure about why the bridge work was taking years to complete. 

On Tuesday, spokesperson Jacob MacDonald told CBC News that no one was available to speak on the topic. 

On Wednesday, MacDonald sent a statement acknowledging that it will likely be another year before the crossing is repaired. 

"The Beaver Dam Bridge on Route 101 has been included for replacement in the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure's Long-Term Capital Plan since 2023," MacDonald wrote. "Work for this project is expected to be tendered tin early 2026, with construction beginning later that year." 

The work will include removal of the existing bridge, creating a single-lane detour at the site, building the new bridge where the old one was, "and some minor improvements to the intersection of Route 101, Smith Road and Whittaker Road, MacDonald said.