New bridge to be built at North Lake, P.E.I.

The provincial government is planning to build a new bridge in North Lake Harbour, P.E.I.,to improve clearance for boat traffic and provide better access to facilities in the area.

The province plans to spend$2.5 million to replace the existing bridge with a taller, more modern structure, it announced Thursday.

Built nearly 50 years ago,the bridge that connects the two sides of North Lake Harbour is an important passageway for both cars and boats in the area.

Butit was long overdue for replacement and it hasn't been safe for heavy trucks or farm machinery to use for the last five years, said North Lake Harbour Authority manager Sheila Eastman.

"We use it every day, be it for taking bait back and forth to boats, or transport of product lobster, tuna whatever back and forth across to market," Eastman said.

"When we're not able to use it for fire trucks and also for school buses it becomes a very important part of the community that's missing."

'Abit nerve-racking'

While the bridge provides easy access to the harbour for cars, ithas caused problems for local fishermen foryears.

Jamie Bruce,a lobster fisherman who also runs a tuna fishing charter out of the harbour, saidduring high tide it's nearly impossible to get his boatunder the bridge and into the harbour.

"Ido park above the bridge so I do have to go underneath that every day," Bruce said. "It's a bit nerve-racking to tell you the truth. My boat is a little over 16 feet wide and I have very little clearance on either side of the boat."

"There was a couple of days last spring during May and June alone that I couldn't even get underneath the bridge with high tides."

Bruce said a new bridge will be a big relief to many fishermen in the area and he hopes it will be built to accommodate the ever-increasing size of new fishing boats.

"I'll put it this way, 20 years ago a big boat was only 13 feet [four metres] wide. Currently a big boat is 16 to 17 feet [5 metres] wide let's add another 20 years on," Bruce said.

"Let's be proactive, bigger and better, better improved and plan for the future."

'A long 18 years'

Eastman said the community council has been pushing for a new bridge for nearly two decades and she's thrilled with the news.

"This has been something the harbour authority has hoped for and we are excited to see real changes happening," Eastman said.

"It's been a long 18 years," Eastman said."It's very good, it's very nice to think that it will come to pass and that we will have a new structure that will hopefully last for another 40 years."

Paula Biggar, minister of transportation, infrastructure and energy, said the government recognized the need to replace the existing bridge, which wasbuilt in 1969.

"As the gateway to the tuna capital of the world the North Lake bridge plays an important role in the Eastern Kings region," she said.

Traffic will be detoured to nearby Route 16 (Northside Road) during construction.

The province saysit will be consulting with the harbour authority and local fishermen to make sure construction doesn't disrupt the fishing season.

Construction is scheduled to begin this year.

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