Bridge collapses in St. Mary's
Trucking company doesn't accept findings of investigation
GLENELG - A local truck driver and the company he works for are not accepting the findings of a Department of Transportation investigation into the collapse of a bridge in Glenelg last Thursday. The 100-year-old West Side Stillwater Bridge, built during the era of horse and buggy, collapsed Thursday as a tractor trailer truck loaded with pulp attempted to cross.
Driver Craig John MacGrath of Aspen was fortunate to emerge from the cab unscathed after it came to rest on the bank of the St. Mary's River in Glenelg, a few feet from the water.
MacGrath had been on his way to the Stora Mill in Port Hawkesbury with a shipment of pulp when he turned onto the steel bridge. A subsequent Department of Transportation investigation concluded that the bridge collapse was due to the first of the truck's two trailers striking the bridge, after the cab cleared the beginning of the structure. An RCMP release said the investigation found that the truck struck a support beam.
The department also determined that the vehicle weighed 49 tonnes at the time of the accident, more than the 41-tonne limit. L and E MacGrath of Aspen owns the truck. MacGrath was ticketed for an overweight vehicle on a highway. According to the RCMP release, the investigation determined that the weight of the tractor trailer was not a factor in the collision.
L and E MacGrath co-owner Lloyd MacGrath told The Journal Tuesday that his company is not accepting the conclusion of the Department of Transportation. He said his insurance company is sending in its own investigator. He added that the driver says he did not hit the bridge.
As for the damage, the span of bridge that collapsed is beyond repair.
There'll definitely be a replacement," Department of Transportation district manager Paul Colton said during an interview Tuesday. "We're looking at shorter term and longer term options. We haven't determined yet what we will be doing." He said it will probably be early in the new year before a decision is made. In the meantime, local residents are experiencing detours of up to 30 minutes.
"We still have to do some investigation as to the damage at the concrete pier in the centre of the bridge," explained Colton. "We won't be able to get in and look at that in more detail until we remove the old bridge which will probably happen next week. The options are to replace that section of the bridge or replace the whole structure."
The old bridge consists of two spans. The one span still standing was replaced in 1993. The span that collapsed Thursday was deemed to not be in need of replacing at the time. That section also passed an inspection in April of this year.
Some area residents don't see the collapse of bridge as an isolated incident. Mike McGinn of nearby Waternish calls the incident a "microcosm of a bigger problem." He questions why only half of the West Side Stillwater Bridge was replaced in 1993.
"It seems like they (the Department of Transportation) are just patching things up. Maybe it's a lack of money, but when it comes to public safety something has to be done."
McGinn says residents in the area are not just concerned over the reliability of old bridges, but also the repair and lack of guardrails in dangerous areas. He says a particular concern is a lack of guardrails along Highway #7 next to the St. Mary's River, a stretch of highway along which hundreds of children are bussed every day.
McGinn says in his community there are missing posts on a wooden guardrail at the Ford Pool in Waternish and another old wooden guardrail in the area is down.
