Residents upset as covered bridge repairs delayed by lack of safety clearance
New Brunswick government crews arrived at the site of a damaged covered bridge last week, but after setting up equipment in Quispamsis, only preparatory work is being allowed by WorkSafeNB as the province has failed to submit the correct paperwork.
Hammond River No. 2 covered bridge has been closed since Oct. 5 when a contractor crashed an overweight excavator through its decking. Local residents have been waiting anxiously for the province since it announced it would repair the bridge in December.
"They came in here on Monday the 15th with the crane," said Catherine Francis, who lives nearby.
After months of taking a lengthy detour, Francis said her neighbours were jubilant to see workers arrive. But a day later, the mood soured when the workers were gone.
The waiting game
A spokesperson from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said WorkSafeNB was invited to the site on Monday.
In a written statement, DTI spokesperson Jeff Hull said WorkSafeNB representatives "had concerns with the temporary planking and its suitability as a work platform." Hull said the engineer in charge of the project certified the planking for foot traffic, but said decking and handrails will be installed to increase safety.
But WorkSafeNB said the work was halted as a result of a stop work order that's been in place since last October. Such an order prohibits an employer from continuing work considered unsafe. WorkSafeNB said it issued an order to DTI last October requesting a written procedure to ensure it was safe.
Until the written work procedure is submitted and WorkSafeNB determines work can be done safely, DTI is only allowed to complete preparation work.
"You had all winter," said Francis, when she heard the response from DTI.
When asked why DTI didn't submit the code of practice to WorkSafeNB before setting up this week, Hull wouldn't say.
In another written statement the DTI spokesperson said his department "has provided procedures in reply and will continue to work collaboratively with WorkSafe NB."
Moving forward
Until WorkSafeNB relinquishes its stop work order, the province is still allowed to complete some significant work. Along with installing brackets and a sub-floor underneath the 1902 bridge's decking, a crane has been driving steel support piers into the riverbed.
While Francis is encouraged to see some work being done, she isn't pleased with the false start. The detour caused by the closure of the bridge has been expensive for many people.
"This is our livelihood," she said. "I know to everybody [else] it's just a road coming through and it's a bridge."
Work on the Hammond River No. 2 bridge is expected to take eight months, with an estimated $1-million price tag.
