Feb. 23, 2018 is a date etched in the minds of Port Bruce residents. That afternoon, the Imperial Road Bridge over Catfish Creek in Port Bruce collapsed, leaving only one access point in and out of the village. Almost three years later, the community again has a permanent structure in place.
The new three-span steel girder bridge was officially opened in a ceremony Friday afternoon. Cost of replacement of the damaged bridge and reconstruction of the road approaches was projected to be $5.1 million.
New Elgin County Warden Tom Marks noted investment by the federal and provincial government allowed the county to undertake the critical bridge replacement without sacrificing other important projects in Elgin communities.
The original bridge dates back to the 1960s. At Friday’s ceremony, Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Jeff Yurek noted reopening the bridge after almost three years of community turmoil “brings great relief to the municipality and county.”
The bridge collapse during heavy flooding trapped a dump truck on the span for an entire month.
The temporary bridge installed in August of 2018 will now be closed to the public, removed and repurposed for replacement of Meeks Bridge on Sparta Line, north of Port Stanley in Southwold Township.
