Souris bridge repairs should be completed by August

An Opposition MLA in eastern P.E.I. is criticizing the provincial government for delays in repairing the Souris bridge.

Colin LaVie, the MLA for Souris-Elmira, says the bridge repair was supposed to be complete by July 1.

The bridge has been under repairsince June of last year and there's a temporary one being used in the meantime.

Transportation Minister Paula Biggar says this winter's harsh weather delayed construction.

The bridge is now on track to be finished by August, or sooner if a detour can beput in place.

"If we were able to close the present one and do a detour around for 12 kilometres for a period of about 10 days, we anticipate that would open it a lot sooner than having to work around keeping the bridge open, but we have to make a transition over to the new bridge," said Biggar.

LaVie says both the delay and a possible detour are unacceptable because Souris is expecting major traffic next month.

The area has several tourism attractions and is the main route for Quebec tourists travelling to the Magdalen Islands.