March 27, 2017
The Municipality of the District of Barrington is a cluster of small villages with a big name and a big community spirit on Nova Scotia’s beautiful South Shore. “The Lobster Capital of Canada” enjoys all of the benefits of its fabulous seaside location, but it also endures some of its hardships, including wear and tear on infrastructure.
Condemned and demolished in late 2013, the old railway bridge at the mouth of the Barrington River was no exception. With its loss, a 100-km network of multi-use recreational trails was interrupted. The new galvanized steel replacement from Algonquin Bridge didn’t happen overnight, but it is an accomplishment the community is very proud of. Various organizations came together, made plans, secured funding and even did some of the installation finish work themselves.
Community comes together to make new galvanized steel bridge a reality
A joint partnership between the local Woodland Multiuse Trail Association (WMTA), the Shelburne County ATV Association (SCATVA), and the Municipality of the District of Barrington was responsible for the project’s success.
Funding was provided through: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (Off Highway Vehicle Infrastructure Fund); Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (Canada 150 Fund); The Municipality of the District of Barrington; Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage (Recreational Facilities Development Grant) as well as fundraising and volunteer efforts of WMTA and SCATVA. A significant memorial donation was also made by a local family in memory of their son, who died in a 2009 ATV accident.
Algonquin Bridge worked very closely with the coalition of project partners to come up with a suitable design to snug into the existing abutment structures and to withstand the saltwater environment. The bridge was manufactured in two sections for galvanizing purposes and then spliced together at the plant. All dimensions were custom, including the step height. We added timber chesses for ease of installation and the decking was left for community volunteers to finish.
On a snowy day in December 2016, the new bridge was lifted from the flatbed truck and then placed in just a few minutes, as shown in this video. Soon after, over a dozen volunteers got to work installing the wooden decking and approach rails. The local project lead, Sherm Embree, Secretary/Treasurer of the WMTA, posted:
“It was a great day in the community!!! Thanks to each one of you for all that you did to make it happen exactly as required and planned. It has been a pleasure working with you.”
Images and video courtesy of the Municipality of the District of Barrington.
