AUNDECK OMNI KANING—While not giving a definitive timeline on when work on the replacement of the Swing Bridge in Little Current will take place, Greg Rickford, minister of northern development said the work is continuing and news should be coming down soon.
Minister Rickford, at a press conference in Aundeck Omni Kaning (AOK) First Nation on November 18 where he announced a total of $4.6 million in funding through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation to 11 economic development projects on Manitoulin Island, said, “We were here 14 months ago to announce the plans to replace the Swing Bridge and do upgrades.” He said another announcement in the project will take place, “in the not-too-distant future.”
In September 23, 2023 Minister Rickford had indicated that the planning, preliminary design and environmental assessment for the replacement of the swing bridge on Highway 6 was complete by the province and the project was proceeding to the property acquisition, right-of-way designation and detail design.
As was reported in the November 13, 2024, edition of The Expositor, Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Mantha, during Question Period on November 5, demanded the Minister of Transportation to provide a clear timeline for the construction of a new swing bridge in Little Current.
“In this years’ budget the Minister of Finance specifically highlighted the plan to replace the swing bridge,” said MPP Mantha. “Over half a year later and we still have no idea how much the government is going to spend, the timeline for the project, or even when we’ll get shovels in the ground.”
MTO Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria said, “The swing bridge project is very important. And that is why it was part of the budget, $28 billion plan to build roads, bridges and highways in the province, which we are committed to.”
“The process is being followed to design this bridge and this government Is committed to building and investing in the North and throughout the entire province,” said Minister Sarkaria. However, he did not provide any timelines.
Minister Rickford said, “I heard the fuss about the swing ridge in parliament. I can understand the concern. You can’t come a year ahead and make an announcement without making a follow-up announcement. It will be coming soon. This is one of the largest projects we are looking at and are committed to. A request for proposal was put out last year to build the new state-of-the-art bridge. I think the ministry is finishing the RFP documents and looking at the bids and making sure we have the right companies to building this infrastructure, respecting timelines.”
The existing swing bridge is almost 111 years old and nearing the end of its service life. It serves as the only roadway access to Manitoulin Island. The replacement of the Little Current Swing Bridge will improve traffic operations and the crossing to and from the island for all drivers.
In 2021, the MTO revealed its favoured option is a through truss swing bridge, the same type of bridge that is currently in place, but with two lanes.
Though revered for its aesthetics and its heritage, as the bridge has aged, its maintenance requirements have become frequent and costly and the MTO identified in 2017 that it would eventually need replacing.
Engineering consulting firm Stantec completed the $2.5 million study into the planning, preliminary design and environmental assessment (EA) process of the bridge and the MTO has been gathering and incorporating public input through the process.
According to the MTO’s proposed plan, the new bridge will run along a newly identified corridor, located west of the existing bridge and will be built with two lanes and a sidewalk along the west side.
New connections from the bridge to Highway 6 will have to be built, as will new traffic-queuing areas for when the bridge is closed to vehicles. Once the new bridge is operational, the old bridge would be removed. However, the MTO is recommending that the new design be “sympathetic to the existing bridge, and the feasibility of using new design or salvaged materials to commemorate, interpret or pay homage to the existing bridge are to be explored.”
