A landmark bridge in La Nation will undergo emergency repairs before already scheduled repairs to the bridge begin.
At the February 22 council meeting, Director of Public Works Marc Legault presented a report stating that the floor system on the 71-year-old Touchette Bridge, which carries Route 650 across the South Nation River south of Casselman, is in an advanced state of deterioration and requires immediate repairs. Three steel plates need to be installed at a cost of $19,108.44.
Louis W. Bray Construction is authorized to complete the repairs under the supervision of REMISZ Consulting Engineers Limited.
Council unanimously approved Legault’s recommendation to immediately proceed with the emergency repairs.
The cost of the emergency repairs to the Touchette Bridge will come from the budget already allocated for more significant repairs to the bridge that are scheduled to begin this spring.
In July 2020, the federal government announced it is contributing $1,254,000 and the Ontario government announced it is contributing $835,916 to La Nation for replacing most of the structural steel on the Touchette Bridge in 2021. La Nation’s contribution to the bridge repairs is $418,084.
Sunday afternoon ice fishing on the South Nation River, upstream of the Touchette Bridge south of Casselman. Photo: James Morgan
