Latest news with #JacobMacDonald
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘Our only route in or out': Residents concerned over weight restriction on rural bridge
Heavy vehicles can no longer cross Peck's Cove Bridge in southeast New Brunswick. The Peck's Cove Bridge near Rockport, N.B. is tucked away in the very southeast corner of the province, and it has seen better days. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DTI) recently restricted its weight load of 43.5 tonnes down to 20 tonnes due to its deteriorated condition. Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black said that means in case of an emergency, heavy fire trucks wouldn't be able to get to people who live on the other side. There's no detour currently in place, but DTI spokesperson Jacob MacDonald said they've reached out to the local fire department to discuss how emergency vehicles could get to the eight to ten homes in the area. 'That's a major concern to people who live on the other side of the bridge. We do have our own plan for fire suppression. it's not perfect, but at least it's something to alleviate fears,' said Black. The people who do live on the other side of the bridge are worried what would happen if there was a structure fire in the rural area. 'If a fire does start here, that is our only route in or out,' said Ted Tompkins, who lives a few kilometres away. 'If the bridge fails, what are we to do?' MacDonald said a tender for repair work or replacement for the bridge is expected for 2028. Peck's Cove Bridge Peck's Cove Bridge restricted its weight load of 43.5 tonnes down to 20 tonnes due to its deteriorated condition. (CTV Atlantic/ Derek Haggett) 'Although DTI is currently reviewing options to tender at an earlier date,' said MacDonald. Also a concern for the few residents in the Rockport area are the dry conditions and the possibility of a forest fire. On Tuesday, the Province of Nova Scotia banned hiking and other activities in the woods due to the risk of wildfires. 'Everything is crisp and dry,' said Tompkins. 'You understand what Nova Scotia just did, I heard it on the news. Well, it's no different here.' Tompkins' neighbour Crow Robichaud lives about a kilometre up the dirt and gravel road. 'If you look at Nova Scotia the same thing is happening there. It's tinder dry, there's been no rain. You crunch through the woods,' said Robichaud. There are fire pits near a beach not far from where Robichaud lives and she believes the province should ban fires in the area because of the fear of what might happen if fire trucks can't reach them. 'Fire service is something that you need. Your insurance wants you to have it obviously. So insurance rates are going to sky rocket for people that live down here,' said Robichaud. Black said the municipality asked the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for a fire ban in the Rockport area. 'We had sent a letter to the administrator of DNR asking for an on-going fire ban on the other side of the bridge. That was denied, but the province has a plan of action in case something were to happen, if a wildfire were to spread for example,' said Black. There are other issues as well. Black said concrete trucks can't get across for any construction projects and sewage removal for people on septic tank systems is also an issue. 'There has been a work around, but again, it's not perfect,' said Black. Black said the municipality found out about the weight restriction a few months ago, but after the fact. 'This happened with the Wheaton Covered Bridge. It happened with the closure of the road to Dorchester. We were informed after those events happened which is really not a way to communicate with an order of government,' said Black. The bridge restoration or replacement project remains in the planning stage, so the magnitude of the work and an estimated cost are not yet known. 'The bridge is located along a coastal road, which is prone to flooding from sea level rise and this will be kept in mind as options for work are considered,' said MacDonald. Lighter snowplow trucks can be utilized, MacDonald said, so plows will be able to cross the Peck's Cove Bridge during the winter. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘Deteriorating' N.B. covered bridge closed
The Poirier Covered Bridge in Notre-Dame, N.B., is seen with a closed sign in front of it. (CTV/Derek Haggett) A covered bridge in Notre-Dame, NB has been closed for safety reasons. Department of Transportation and Infrastructure [DTI] spokesperson Jacob MacDonald said the Poirier Covered Bridge was closed to traffic on July 2 due to its 'deteriorating condition' and is beginning to review options for the structure. Built in 1942, the 41-metre bridge stands over the Cocagne River roughly 30 minutes north of Moncton. Road closure signs at one of the entrances to the bridge have been thrown in a nearby ditch and the concrete slabs used as a road block have been shifted so that vehicles can cross it. 'Department staff have since been made aware of the discarded barricades and we will soon be installing guiderails on both sides of the bridge in the interest of public safety,' said MacDonald in an email. Ginette LeBlanc lives about 100 metres away and said the closure has had a big impact on the people in the community. 'It's unbelievable the amount of people that take wedding pictures, graduation pictures with the covered bridge. We've talked to the government and they say they don't know yet what they're going to do with it,' said LeBlanc. MacDonald said DTI has started reviewing options for the 41-metre bridge, but the associated cost cannot be determined right now. 'Improvements to detour roads have been made for better access to the area around the bridge,' said MacDonald. LeBlanc pointed out a few areas where the wood has rotted on the structure, but feels like it could be fixed by the province. 'Right now they're not even saying if they're going to fix it, if they're going to replace it, or if they're going to tear it down all together and have the road closure completely,' said LeBlanc. Poirier Covered Bridge A deteriorated area of the Poirier Covered Bridge is seen . (CTV/Derek Haggett) Shane Fitzsimmons also lives nearby and like LeBlanc, he's hoping for some answers. 'A lot of people have bought a place, property around the area, to enjoy the river. Four-wheeling activities, snowmobiling in the wintertime including myself and now we have no access to go across the river whatsoever,' said Fitzsimmons. 'We need some answers about what they're going to do with the bridge. Whether they're going to rebuild it or if they're going to replace it or fix it.' Robert Babineau has a sawmill and maple sugar shack a few kilometres from the bridge but now has to take a detour to get there. 'I've got to go all the way around. Gives me 40 kilometres a day and I'm here six days a week,' said Babineau. 'It gives me 240 kilometres extra. I mean, the wear and tear on my truck, plus the fuel.' Covered Bridges Conservation Association of New Brunswick president Raymond Boucher told CTV News in February there were once 343 covered bridges in New Brunswick during the 1950s, but only 58 remain. The William Mitton Bridge in Riverview was torn down in February because it had been deteriorating for years and could not be saved. The Shepody River #3 Covered Bridge near Riverside-Albert was dismantled this spring, but will be replaced with a single-lane modular bridge. A modular bridge will also be constructed next to the Wheaton Covered Bridge in Sackville, but will not likely be ready until late 2026. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
‘A big pain': Saint John residents frustrated by pending Harbour Bridge closures
The underside of the Saint John Harbour bridge is pictured in Saint John, N.B., on July 8, 2025. (Avery MacRae/CTV Atlantic) When residents in Saint John, N.B., buckle up for a drive to go to and from the city's west side they have a choice to make: take the Reversing Falls Bridge, which leads to the sometimes-challenging Simms Corner intersection, or travel the Saint John Harbour Bridge, which has been under construction for years? At various times in the months ahead, they won't have a choice. Starting Thursday, the Saint John Harbour Bridge will be closed intermittently until early November. Jacob MacDonald, communications officer with the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DTI), says the closures will be brief, lasting only about 20 minutes. They will only occur two to three times each month and happen outside peak traffic hours. 'Work currently underway on the Saint John Harbour Bridge involves the replacement of bridge bearings beneath the main traffic lanes,' MacDonald told CTV News in an email. 'This process requires the bridge deck to be raised using jacks and must therefore be completely free of traffic to ensure the safety of both the workers and motorists.' MacDonald says the surface rehabilitation on main traffic lanes and ramps is expected to be done by the end of the fall. 'The bearing replacement under the main lanes from the Chesley Drive off-ramp to the eastern end of the bridge is ongoing and is expected to be completed in fall 2026,' says MacDonald. 'The bearing replacement under both the Chesley Drive off-ramp and on-ramp scheduled for construction between 2026 and 2028.' The bridge has been undergoing a phased refurbishing project since 2021. The project could cost as much as $31 million by the time it's finished in 2027 – up from the project's initial budget of more than $26 million. The federal and New Brunswick governments announced $15 million in funding for the project in February 2023. The provincial government says the construction project will extend the 1.3-kilometre structure's lifespan by 30 to 50 years. 'A real big pain' Travelling across the bridge can be a slow roll with the construction as it currently stands, and many residents admit they try to avoid it altogether most days. The closures also mean the quicker travel method over the Reversing Falls Bridge may take longer then it once did. 'It's just hard when you need to get someone and you have to rebook appointments,' resident Glennis Campbell says. 'It's a pain, a real big pain.' It's a sentiment echoed by fellow Saint John resident Beverly Barwell. 'Terrible and awful,' she says of the continued delays and traffic disruptions caused by the bridge work. The bridge closure has a more profound impact on those who reside on the city's west side, and that includes businesses. In a social media post Monday night, Doiron Sports Excellence called the closures a 'serious blow' to small businesses like his. 'Someone from the other side of the bridge is not going to come over here and get their skates sharpened,' says owner Mark Doiron, as a example. 'They're going to choose to go somewhere else where it's more convenient, less traffic, and we will never get that back.' Doiron also says the closures are dangerous when it comes to first responders trying to get to the other side of the city for emergency calls. He understands and appreciates the work being done to the bridge to ensure it will continue to be a reliable source for travellers to use in the decades ahead, but says how the work is being done matters. 'We just need our leaders to stand up for all of us,' Doiron says. 'There's just so many different aspects to this, not just business-wise, that the city has to look at and understand from our point of view. 'They have to stand up for us.' Mayor Donna Reardon says she isn't happy about the full closures and understands the frustration for west-side residents. She says decisions related to the closures are made by DTI. She, like Doiron, is happy the province took on the project, but questions why a different timeline for the closures could not be made. 'I know to work day and night is far more expensive, but for some of this, where you actually have to stop the traffic, it would be nice that that could be done at night versus for some daytime,' Reardon says. Despite the fact the bridge has been under construction for several years, Reardon says people still get confused dealing with the ongoing construction, and she looks forward to it being completed once and for all. The Saint John Harbour Bridge first opened to traffic in August 1968. With files from CTV's Andrea Jerrett For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
27-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Bridge delays agitated a Fredericton community. Here's what went wrong behind the scenes
Social Sharing When New Brunswick fired an Ontario-based contractor for protracted and costly delays on three major bridge contracts, the company had finally completed work at another bridge in the province. And on that one — the rehabilitation of the Marysville Bridge in Fredericton — emails obtained by CBC news indicate tensions behinds the scenes had reached a boiling point with Julmac Contracting Ltd. A veritable mountain of documents — well over 3,000 pages — reveals how the province's relationship with Julmac worsened as the Marysville project ran into numerous troubles. At one point, the frustrated contractor called government engineers incompetent. At another, Julmac said it was being "held ransom" by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. Lost 3 jobs this winter Julmac Contracting was removed from working on the Mactaquac Dam near Fredericton and the Centennial and Anderson Bridges in Miramichi in mid-February. Although issues related to that decision are part of legal proceedings, the documents CBC obtained about the work Julmac did on the Marysville Bridge, although a separate project, offer a window into how the company and province interact. Julmac won the contract in February 2022, for work that included replacing the bridge deck, widening the sidewalk, replacing the bridge joint, and work on the bridge piers. The bridge was finished at a cost of $7.9 million in October 2024, just slightly above the original cost estimate but well past the initial November 2023 target date for completion. Delays getting the work done angered local people who faced long waits in their daily commutes. The bridge was reduced to a single lane for much of construction, which spanned three summers. Last April, CBC made a right to information request for all documents related to the construction and delays at the bridge since work began. The request was answered nine months later with a package that mostly included emails between DTI engineers and managers, Julmac, and EXP, the architecture consultant hired for the project. All references to legal advice, contract prices, cost estimates, and names of all non-government employees were redacted. DTI officials would not talk about Julmac because of issues before the courts, spokesperson Jacob MacDonald said. But Julmac president Derek Martin said in an interview that all of the Marysville delays were the fault of the government. Many issues, including faulty engineering data and problems getting materials, are to be expected for bridge rehab projects, Martin said, and DTI did not agree to the time extensions that Julmac sought. "Could that job been done a lot quicker? Of course it could be — if DTI would have had a better working relationship with Julmac," Martin said. "When two people are going to be off on a standoff all the time, it's not good. And the ones that feel it at the end of the day is is the travelling public." The documents show DTI officials have a different view of how the Marysville project progressed. An early start Problems were identified soon out of the gate. A month after Julmac got the contract, a DTI employee said in an April 2022 email that he was meeting with Julmac to discuss "concerns about resources considering they are behind schedule on 2 contracts at the Centennial Bridge." Minutes from a November meeting said DTI was concerned "there may not be enough contractor staff to complete all the work that has to be done in 2022." Julmac promised staffing would increase to 16 from seven, but the minutes said the company "continues to state that they don't have a staffing issue." Safety concerns also arose before the year was out. A DTI engineer wrote to Julmac on Dec. 16 about unsecured scaffolding at the site. "There has been no confirmation from any of Julmac staff contacting the scaffolding company to have the repairs completed," a DTI email said. "As far as DTI is aware the temporary jacking is not being inspected on a daily basis." Issues piled up into the spring of 2023, when Julmac claimed several monthly payments were outstanding. In June, Julmac said DTI "is holding us ransom," and it would claim interest on the disputed late payments. Two weeks later, on June 19, Julmac threatened to sue. DTI employee Don Patterson responded the same day, saying the department had promised to process payments quickly. "This commitment was made in the interest [of] collaboration in spite of the fact that Julmac had not submitted updated schedules for Anderson, Mactaquac, [Marysville] or Centennial bridges," Patterson wrote, mentioning three of the bridges bridge projects Julmac would later be fired from. "Unfortunately, DTI still does not have updated schedules for all of the contracts. This is disappointing." Julmac cites faulty data Problems continued into the summer of 2023. In July, Julmac said supplied engineering data for the bridge deck elevation contained errors, holding up progress for a month. An email from a DTI engineer on July 10 said updated data would be provided. On July 14, Julmac sent its first request for a timeline extension, asking for 145 days. "We firmly believe that the circumstances surrounding the delay in completing the project were beyond our control and justify an extension of time," Julmac wrote. Less than a month later, Julmac wrote, "It's impossible to complete this year even if I put 100 guys there." Julmac's request was denied on Sept. 6 by DTI engineer Darren Colford, who said the request lacked documentation. He levied a $415,000 late penalty. WATCH | 'When two people are going to be off on a standoff all the time … it's not good': The heated words between the N.B. government and a contractor over Fredericton bridge delays 7 minutes ago Duration 3:37 Two days later, Julmac sent another extension request because of issues with underwater work on submerged parts of the bridge. The company claimed a product that DTI had contractually required Julmac to use for this work was, in fact, not usable. Julmac also said DTI's denial of the first extension lacked an explanation. "This seems very unreasonable and unprofessional, especially with a penalty of $415,000 tagged on this," Julmac wrote. In more emails the same day, Julmac adopted a harsher tone, again threatening lawsuits. "Is it [DTI's] intention to try and bankrupt Julmac as we continue to work on all projects! This is completely offside for the contracts that we signed," a company email said. "This has been a constant on all projects that Julmac is currently engaged in." DTI denied Julmac's second extension request on Sept. 28 because the challenges of the underwater work "were well known to all parties since bidding time." The department added that Julmac's request did not say how much time was needed. "[We] will not be able to approve an open extension of time requests that don't slow the contractor's plan to execute the contractual scope," wrote DTI. Work schedules 'showing no plan' to finish project Colford warned Julmac on Oct. 18 that its project schedules were "substandard, illogical, and showing no plan for finishing the scope of work." "The unavailability of a reliable work schedule will increase the risk of not obtaining approval for an extension request and therefore having a project completion delay penalty applied." The department had earlier warned Julmac that no site superintendent was observed on site. "Not providing such key team members as per the contractual requirements might cause poor quality, mismanagement, safety risks, poor communications, and further delays," DTI wrote. In a reply, Julmac said payments for July, August and September were still outstanding. Julmac sent a third extension request on Nov. 30 and said issues with the bridge deck elevation "were beyond the control and are no fault of the contractor," adding the expected completion was now September 2024. Julmac says DTI staff 'under qualified' The superintendent issue persisted into December, when EXP asked Julmac to hire one "with an acceptable experience level to run the site activities." This brought an outburst. "Julmac has no problem supplying CV's for all our staffs to show that they are capable of performing the work," said the writer of one Julmac email. He said he doubted DTI would do the same, "as it is quite clear in my observations over the past 12 months that most positions are filled with under qualified staff!" The email also said "any superintendent that we [currently] have working would completely outrank" the EXP engineer. CBC News asked EXP for an interview but did not receive a response. In another email that day, Julmac said, "In terms of competent oversight of the projects it is yourself that is most questionable." The company continued: "I have requested of DTI to demonstrate to JCL that you have the requisite relevant experience to make ANY decisions on assessments as it relates to any of the project's technical, commercial, or contractual requirements." Martin said in an interview that the claims of inaccurate project schedules and no superintendent on site were "without merit." Julmac's third extension request was denied on Jan. 2, 2024, with DTI granting only 40 days out of the 140 requested, because "no supporting documents" were included. "DTI identified several causes of delays: shortage of materials and workforce, delay in design and submittals, unavailability of superintendent, unavailability of traffic agent, sub-standing working schedules," DTI wrote. "These delay causes are the contractor's responsibility." As spring 2024 arrived, Julmac sued DTI for $27 million, claiming it was treated unfairly compared to local companies. Julmac still out millions, owner says That fall, to the relief of frustrated residents who had become accustomed to months of lengthy delays, the Marysville bridge was finally completed. Martin said he is still seeking compensation of several million dollars he claims Julmac is owed on the Marysville project. While based in Ontario, Julmac wants to continue working in New Brunswick, he said. Most of Julmac's recent contracts have been in New Brunswick, and many of his young workers have moved to the province in anticipation of long-term work under DTI contracts. Still, if given another chance, Martin said, he would not have done anything differently. "I wouldn't mind apologizing to the public for the delay," he said, "because I know it's a main hub for people getting in and out," he said.
