MANITOULIN—While it is Evansville bus passengers that are losing out with the Ontario Northland bus service route having been removed from the Island route, the Municipality of Central Manitoulin, where the bridge is actually located, are hopeful that funding can be gained from the province to replace this bridge.
“Barr’s Creek, which the Union Road Bridge goes over is in Central Manitoulin (not Burpee-Mills),” wrote Ruth Frawley, clerk of Central Manitoulin in an email to the Recorder on May 11. “We (Central Manitoulin) have attempted at least three times over the last three years to gain funding from the province to replace this bridge, but have been unsuccessful so far.”
As reported in last week’s edition of the Recorder the Evansville stop of the Ontario Northland Manitoulin Island bus service has been removed from the Island route.
Renee Baker, communications manager with Ontario Northland, told the Recorder that the Evansville stop has been removed due to safety concerns with weight limitations on the bridge. If and when the weight restriction is increased on the bridge, Ontario Northland will review service opportunities for Evansville at that time.
The Barr’s Creek bridge has a weight-load use limit of 10 tons, while the Ontario Northland bus used on the Island route weighs approximately 12 tons.
“We will also probably be sending a letter to Burpee-Mills Township council asking if they would send a letter raising their concerns with the bridge and that it needs to be replaced and funding provided,” said Ms. Frawley, “it would be nice if Ontario Northland did the same (forwarding a letter of support for replacement of the bridge). She pointed out, “in our last funding application we were informed by the province (that the condition) of the bridge is not dire enough to provide funding and that in some other communities in the province there are bridges that are in worse condition. But they have encouraged us to continue to apply for the funding needed to replace the bridge and council will be doing this in the near future.”
