Months-long closure of Portapique bridge frustrating locals and tourism operators

The months-long closure of a well-travelled bridge — and a detour that means 10 minutes driving over a dirt road — is causing concern among residents and tourism operators in Nova Scotia's Colchester County.

The Lower Portapique bridge has been closed since April, after public works staff found damage to the vertical poles that support the river bridge, known as piles, during an inspection. The detour skirts the scenic route along Highway 2 and takes locals and tourists alike down a gravel stretch. 

Portapique resident Ashley Fletcher said the closure came as a surprise to many in the community and communication has remained an issue. There is no firm timeline for the bridge's reopening. 

"Updates have been really minimal to non-existent, and I find that creates fear and confusion and worst-case-scenario thinking," said Fletcher.

"Having this process be a little bit more transparent would be really helpful — like a timeline, educational information about what's actually wrong with the bridge so people could understand."

Adding to the concern is how the bridge closure has affected tourism and business operators in the area, said Laura Schwarz, manager of the Bass River Heritage Museum.

The museum off Highway 2 had expected a banner year for tourism as fewer Canadians travel south to the United States, but it has instead seen a 43 per cent decline in visitors year over year. Schwarz said area businesses are reporting a similar slowdown because of the bridge closure and detour.

"We ourselves were gearing up for a boom in tourism this year at the museum … but yet here we are facing the lowest numbers we've seen, frankly since COVID," she said.

Schwarz said the society that operates the Bass River museum decided to not hire two summer students in anticipation of a slower season. 

Design work complete

Gary Andrea, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Works, said design work to repair the damaged piles on the Portapique bridge is complete. He said a tender for the work has not been issued. 

"Once a contractor is retained over the coming weeks, the remaining work required to repair the bridge and reopen Trunk 2 in this location will take place during the summer construction season," Andrea said July 3. 

Andrea said staff determined the "short detour" and "relatively high-traffic volumes" were not suitable for a temporary bridge — something residents have asked about. 

MLA hopes for July reopening  

Colchester North MLA Tom Taggart had hoped the work would be complete by Canada Day, when traffic grows heavier with tourists. In an interview, Taggart said he would be "upset" if the work is not complete this month. 

"Getting the equipment here is the biggest challenge. And the tender process is a long, long drawn-out process for a lot of reasons," he said, adding the province could select a qualified contractor through a non-competitive alternative procurement process.

"I believe I've made the case to please look at that," he said.

Public Works has graded the detour, and added products that have reduced the amount of dust and loose gravel. 

Still, many have damaged windshields, are worried about the additional wear on their vehicles, and are concerned about the impact on emergency response times, according to Fletcher. 

"There's lots of concern people have," she said.

'Save that stop for next year' 

At the Bass River museum, Schwarz is hopeful the public will turn out for an open house later this month and support local businesses while they're in the area. 

So far, however, indications are that visitors would prefer to keep to the main roads.

"Other museums are telling me that people are hesitant to come out to the Bass River Heritage Museum due to the detour and how rough it is," Schwarz said.

"A lot of people are experiencing damage to their vehicles as a result of the detour and everyone's just kind of saying, 'We'll save that stop for next year.'"