Fundy-St. Martins’ Hardscrabble Bridge rebuild expected to take several years, says MLA
The Hardscrabble Bridge in Fundy-St. Martins will be rebuilt, but the project could take two to three years because of the extensive engineering and design work required, says MLA John Herron.
In a July 17 social media post, Natural Resources Minister and Hampton-Fundy–St. Martins MLA John Herron announced that the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DTI) had closed the bridge to vehicle traffic because of its “deteriorating condition.”
Herron said the decision was made in the interest of public safety following a recent inspection and ongoing monitoring of the bridge.
In the post, Herron said he was saddened to share the news, adding that it was “particularly difficult” as the community prepared to celebrate St. Martins’ Old Home Week and because the town’s “two bridges” are a defining feature of the area.
The Hardscrabble Bridge and Vaughan Creek Covered Bridge are major tourist attractions in Fundy-St. Martins. The community is known as the only place where visitors can photograph two covered bridges and a lighthouse in the same frame.
Herron said in the post that DTI plans to rebuild the structure as a covered bridge, but noted that the timeline would be a “collective challenge.”
In an interview with Acadia Broadcasting, Herron said the historic Hardscrabble Bridge is considered a priority from a tourism perspective but said “large capital expenditures that are unbudgeted become problematic.”
Fixing the bridge “it’s not in the planning cycle,” he added. “I would suspect that we are looking at a two-year replacement of that particular structure.”
The extensive engineering work and design considerations required to rebuild the bridge are among the reasons Herron believes the project will take considerable time.
He said the department plans to build a concrete base beneath the bridge to accommodate fire trucks and other heavier vehicles.
“In a modern context, we are apt to have a modern base structure for the bridge itself that would be able to accommodate heavier traffic,” Herron said.
Another part of the design process, Herron said, will be ensuring the bridge maintains the covered structure that “would properly reflect the historic heritage of covered bridges that we celebrate in the province.”
Herron believes the bridge’s tourism value will not be significantly affected because it will remain open to pedestrians.
However, he acknowledged the closure will create challenges for motorists who regularly use the bridge.
A detour will be available via Yeomans Road and Big Salmon River Road, Herron said. He added that DTI recently assessed the condition of Yeomans Road and plans to make further improvements in the near future.
Herron said he believes St. Martins can get through the reconstruction, pointing to the Vaughan Creek Covered Bridge, which was closed in 2017 because of its deteriorating condition and reopened in 2022 after being replaced.
“We’ve been through this before, and we’ll get through this once again,” he said.
