Showing its age

Clarke’s Beach bridge scheduled to be replaced

One of the two bridges serving as entry points to Clarke’s Beach is starting to show its age.

The North River-clarke’s Beach bridge connects the latter Conception Bay North town to the northern part of the Conception Bay Highway and the rest of the region.

The bridge was built in 1966 and accommodates plenty of drivers every day of the week. As the primary point of access to Clarke’s Beach coming from the Bay Roberts area, delivery trucks and regular traffic all must cross over that bridge.

It isn’t the only way into town — there is another entrance on the South River side of the harbour.

With this usage comes wear. The railing on either side has seen better days, and pieces of rebar can be seen beneath crumbling concrete. The concrete base is also cracking and there are small potholes in the asphalt.

The item is currently on the town’s checklist, and inspections have been completed on the structure.

“I know it is on the (replacement) list. … The only thing we’ve been doing is lobbying to get it done,” said Clarke’s Beach Mayor Betty Moore.

The replacement of the bridge is an item on the Clarke’s Beach council’s radar because of its importance to the town.

LATEST INSPECTION

Documents available on the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure website indicate the bridge was last inspected in 2016.

That inspection found the substructure was in poor condition, along with the bridge’s handrails and approach rails.

Other parts of the bridge were found to be in fair condition, and the department recommended then that the overall condition of the structure was poor.

Government officials have told the town the bridge is structurally sound, the mayor said.

“I think it is something that we have to keep a little bit of an eye on,” said Moore.

There had been plans to replace the rails on the bridge last summer, but those repairs were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some patchwork was done on the road, but Moore said it is time the work gets done again.

“I know that stuff doesn’t last because most times when it’s patched, there is water and stuff there and when you put the patch in, it just doesn’t last,” said Moore. “The amount of traffic and trucks that go over that stretch of road, (the road) is eroding all of the time.”

According to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, the 2016 bridge inspection resulted in the bridge being identified for replacement.

“The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure began the planning process for the bridge replacement in 2018,” read a statement from the department provided to Saltwire Network. “The project will go to tender this year. In the meantime, we have been monitoring the bridge and making necessary repairs.”