Province, federal governments announce funding for Battleford truss bridge repairs

Leslie said the town was hoping the funding would cover repairs for both of the truss bridges. But he said the town is “definitely not going to complain” to see that 75 per cent of repair costs for the north bridge work will be funded by the federal and provincial governments.

He said when the work is done hopefully the town will be able to re-open the north bridge by the summer of 2022.

The bridge requires significant repairs related to erosion. Leslie said the work will help reinforce the bridge structurally for years to come. The bridge was closed a year ago this spring due to potential safety issues.

High water levels created an erosion of the bank of the upslope, so it was deemed to not be safe. The north bridge has been closed since then.

“This funding announcement will give us the ability to get the project done, hopefully this year,” Leslie said. “I’m just happy that we found some funding. The town and council are both committed to getting this bridge back going… We are just extremely grateful that the provincial government and the federal government have chosen the Town of Battleford for this project to help get it done.”

A view of the bottom side of the bridge. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW.com)

Leslie added the town consulted with area Indigenous communities before applying for support for the project.

“I definitely want to thank the chiefs of Little Pine, Lucky Man, and Moosomin as they had quickly responded with letters of support for this project,” Leslie said. “Their support and their letters were very critical and key for us getting this funding, as it’s our duty to consult our local indigenous communities. I definitely am very grateful for them for showing support to the Town of Battleford with this process.”

Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill said this project was identified by the town as one that was a high priority.

“I think those of us who live in the Battlefords, we know that it’s a great place to go walking,” he said. “It’s kind of an iconic bridge for us in the Battlefords. And it’s also just nice to have another connection between Battleford and North Battleford.“

Cockrill said it will be good to see the work on this project begin.

“We are excited we could announce this today, and are looking forward to seeing construction start on this,” he said.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow