On July 2, Glengarry–Prescott–Russell Member of Parliament Francis Drouin announced that the federal government is contributing $1,254,000 toward the rehabilitation of the Touchette Bridge in The Nation Municipality. The Ontario government is contributing $835,916 to the project, and the remainder of the cost will come from a municipal contribution of $418,084. The federal funding is from the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan.
The Touchette Bridge carries Route 650 over the South Nation River near Casselman. It was built in 1950 and named after Monsignor Joseph-Hercules Touchette, a priest who served in Casselman from 1893 to 1953. A municipal report explains that much of the structural steel on the bridge has seriously deteriorated and is in need of replacement.
The rehabilitation of the Touchette Bridge will consist of replacing the majority of its parts, including the floor beams, the deck, and the steel stringers. These upgrades will extend the lifespan of the bridge while increasing the flow of traffic.
Thursday’s announcement was one of five announcements for road and bridge improvement projects throughout Eastern Ontario. The other projects are in Cornwall, Morrisburg, North Grenville, and Mississippi Mills. The total federal investment in these projects is $9 million and the total provincial investment is $6.5 million.
“We’re extremely happy to have Infrastructure Canada, with the help of our MP Francis Drouin, and the Province of Ontario, getting this funding of $2.1 million. It’s a substantial amount of money on a project evaluated at about $2.5 million. Thank you to both levels of government and I’m sure the residents of The Nation Municipality will be extremely appreciative of the work being done here. Again, thank you, to everybody involved,” said Nation Municipality Mayor François St-Amour.
