Latest news with #MichelleConroy
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
N.B. government says adding sidewalk to resurfaced Miramichi bridge would 'throw it out of balance'
The New Brunswick government says adding a sidewalk to resurfacing plans on Miramichi's Centennial Bridge would throw the entire span 'out of balance.' 'It's not that I don't want a sidewalk,' said Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson, to reporters on Wednesday. 'A sidewalk has to be a separate project, because the safety standards of today kind of dictate what we need to do to rehab that bridge.' On Sunday, about 100 demonstrators gathered on the Centennial Bridge to protest refurbishment plans that don't include a sidewalk. 'The actual sidewalk cannot be attached to the bridge because it will throw it out of balance. It has to be supported from the piers,' said Chiasson. 'We have to have a certain lane width. We have to have certain widths of a breakdown lane and then we have to have obviously the barriers that keep people from driving off the side of the bridge.' Chiasson said the provincial government was speaking with the municipality about the possibility of adding bus passes and water taxis, to address accessibility issues for pedestrians once the refurbishment is complete. In April, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said the sidewalk was removed from bridge refurbishment plans due to financial restraints. On Friday, MLA Michelle Conroy said removing sidewalks from the bridge's refurbishment plan would negatively impact the community. 'The people of Miramichi deserve the independence to safely walk across that bridge,' said Conroy. An estimated 13,000 vehicles cross the Centennial Bridge daily. A full shutdown of the 58-year-old bridge, initially scheduled for this summer, has been delayed to 2026. Bridge Protest Demonstrators are pictured on the Centennial Bridge in Miramichi, N.B., on June 1, 2025. (Nick Moore/CTV Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Miramichi residents demand sidewalks for refurbished Centennial Bridge
About 100 demonstrators gathered June 1, 2025 in Miramichi, N.B., calling for the provincial government to include sidewalks in a plan to refurbish the Centennial Bridge. (Nick Moore/CTV Atlantic) About 100 demonstrators gathered Sunday in Miramichi, N.B., calling for the provincial government to include sidewalks in a plan to refurbish the Centennial Bridge. Right now, there are sidewalks on both sides of the 58-year-old span connecting Douglastown and Chatham. In April, residents learned sidewalks were not included in the bridge's perpetually delayed rehabilitation plan, with the provincial government calling it a cost cutting measure. Demonstrators walked and wheeled a portion of the bridge's sidewalk on Sunday through wind and rain. Sadie Rose, an organizer of the demonstration, said residents don't accept the province's cost saving explanation. 'This is not over. Removing accessibility is not an option,' said Rose. 'Accessibility is important for seniors, for young people, for everybody in our community.' Centennial Bridge About 100 demonstrators gathered June 1, 2025 in Miramichi, N.B., calling for the provincial government to include sidewalks in a plan to refurbish the Centennial Bridge. (Nick Moore/CTV Atlantic) During question period in the legislature on Friday, Progressive Conservative Miramichi East MLA Michelle Conroy said removing sidewalks from the bridge's refurbishment plan would negatively impact the community. 'The people of Miramichi deserve the independence to safely walk across that bridge,' said Conroy. 'The lack of transportation is talked about in most of our departments, and all of our meetings, and instead of pushing to knock down those barriers, this government is knocking down people's independence.' In response, Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson said finishing the bridge's refurbishment as soon as possible was the government's top priority. 'That bridge needs to be finished, we need to complete the project,' said Chiasson. 'That being said, I would be more than willing to engage the community on transportation solutions for the community.' Chiasson said the previous PC government did not budget for sidewalks in the bridge's refurbishment plan. Conroy disagreed, saying: 'It needs to be in there, and it was in there, and we were in the meetings to prove it.' Miramichi Mayor Adam Lordon previously told CTV News there once was a plan for an extended suspension sidewalk off the bridge's side, at a cost of around $50 million. An estimated 13,000 vehicles cross the Centennial Bridge daily. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
