A new $61.6 million bridge will be built beginning this spring across the Petitcodiac River to replace the causeway between Moncton and Riverview, correcting a 48-year-old environmental mistake, officials say.
CBC has reported that New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant and federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc made the announcement in December as they put up the project’s funds. New Brunswick will contribute $32.9 million, and the remainder will come from Ottawa. The bridge will take about five years to complete. The published documentation does not indicate who will be the contractor.
The causeway resulted in a variety of environmental problems in the river, including the buildup of silt, narrowing of the river and making the it inhospitable for salmon and other fish.
“Decades ago some mistakes were made,” Gallant said. “As New Brunswickers, when we make a mistake, we fix it.”
The new bridge will be steel and 240 metres long. It will include a sidewalk and two lookout areas.