Colchester selects design for pedestrian bridge at Fundy Discovery Site
Addition over Salmon River comes as UNESCO evaluators are set to arrive in July
A historic route across the Salmon River in Colchester County is being restored with the addition of a multimillion-dollar pedestrian bridge at the Fundy Discovery Site, which is part of the Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geopark.
A decade ago, the Municipality of Colchester acquired the former motel property in Lower Truro, N.S. Since then, amenities such as a playground and an amphitheatre have been built. A tidal bore viewing platform is also under construction this summer.
Colchester Mayor Christine Blair said there have long been plans for a bridge across the river, but two previous tenders were over the $11-million budget. The suspension bridge design yielded price tags between $17.5 million and $27 million.
To lower costs, the municipality instead pursued a design-build tender and received federal approval for pier installation in the river.
On June 25, council voted 7-5 to pursue a $7.9-million, three-pier, wooden bridge with a curved design. The municipality will be responsible for just over a quarter of project costs with funding for the remainder secured from the federal government.
"I've had people stopping me in the grocery store ... saying what a great looking bridge this will be," Blair said in an interview.
"Now it'll probably take a couple of years to get it in, but you know, it's going to be there and I think it will be great for the walkers and the bikers and so on."
The submission by builder WRD & TRS estimates construction will be completed as early as January 2027.
When it opens, it will reinstate pedestrian crossing at the location.
According to a staff report, a bridge was established in the 1850s linking Onslow to Lower Truro. The crossing was removed after the construction of Highway 102 in 1970.
Even after years of consideration, not all taxpayers agree with the plan to spend millions on a pedestrian bridge.
"There's people on both sides of the fence or both sides of the bridge," Coun. Laurie Sandeson, who represents Lower Truro where the Fundy Discovery Site is located, said ahead of the council decision.
"And some really want it and some know that we need our roads fixed. We need housing to be a priority."
Blair said the pedestrian bridge, which will be closed to motorized vehicles, will advance active transportation in the municipality by connecting Onslow to the Cobequid Trail. She said the infrastructure in view of Highway 102 will also be a valuable tourist attraction.
"It's very important for our Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geopark, for tourism, for economic development," she said.
The bridge plans come as the UNESCO Global Geopark evaluators are expected to assess the Cliffs of Fundy sites this month. The geopark, which stretches along the coast in Cumberland and Colchester counties, was first designated in 2020, but received a yellow rating in its most recent evaluation, meaning it has two years to make changes or get the dreaded red card, which means it will lose its status.
In response to recommendations, both county governments have committed to annual funding for the geopark through to 2028. A new website was launched last fall, promotional material was created and trilingual interpretive panels are being installed in preparation for the evaluation.
"We're hoping that the improvements that we have made will be nice for them to see and to recognize that we have taken the recommendations seriously and have followed through," said Blair.
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