Residents in Bognor held a bridge party on Saturday August 28 to commemorate the “unofficial opening” of the recently completed structure that spans Walter's Creek on Side Road 6.
The bridge was finally opened to traffic in January of this year after having been closed due to structural issues some 15 months earlier in October of 2008, and had the finishing touches including waterproofing and a final layer of asphalt completed this summer.
The closure of the bridge, and the lengthy process of securing funding and constructing a new bridge had been a source of frustration for residents, and was cause for heated exchanges with members of Meaford council.
As the controversy escalated the residents of Bognor even had their own 40 foot long pedestrian bridge constructed and installed across the creek in order to allow residents to travel to the post office or to visit with friends without having to take a 7 kilometre detour in their vehicles.
“The pedestrian bridge was our own initiative out here. They didn't seem to care at council if we had a way over, and that we had to go all the way around. Of course originally council didn't think anybody lived on this road,” said Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch who lives on the stretch of Side Road 6 that was affected by the bridge closure.
The turnout for the bridge party was impressive, and those who attended were treated to live music, free soda and hot dogs, and a bagpipe-led procession across the bridge at the end of which a 'ribbon' of yellow caution tape was cut by Murdoch along with other residents of Side Road 6 who were affected by the prolonged bridge closure.
Murdoch was vocal about his and his fellow residents displeasure throughout the months without use of the bridge, however on Saturday he was in the mood to party Bognor-style.
“This is good for the community to come together, and we are a community out here,” Murdoch told The Independent, “We had to convince the Meaford council because they didn't seem to think we existed out here. Whether they [the municipality] will ever have an opening or not, that's up to them, but the people of Bognor wanted something, and as you can see we've got a heck of a good turnout.”
The party was announced on local radio stations and promoted by word of mouth throughout the municipality. Missing from the crowd of revellers on the bridge - with the exception of Councillor Gerald Shortt - were members of Meaford council.
“Anybody was invited. There was nobody personally invited, and no-one not invited. So they certainly were welcome to come here,” Murdoch said when asked about the lack of municipal representation at the event, “This is part of Meaford, but I don't see them here.”
As for the bridge itself which cost slightly more than $1 million to build and was two thirds financed through federal and provincial infrastructure grants with the municipality picking up the rest of the cost, Murdoch had only good things to say.
“You couldn't be not happy with the bridge,” laughed Murdoch, “Before we had a one lane road with a one lane bridge, and now we have a one lane road with a four lane bridge.”
The bridge in reality is two lanes in width and there was considerable debate at council during the design phase about whether a full two lane bridge was actually needed. The decision was made to construct a full two lane structure.
The width of the bridge though was not the only excess that some Bognor residents saw in the finished product. Signs affixed at various locations along the structure identified a variety of special features that visitors might not otherwise have been aware of.
One of those signs made light of the height requirements worked into the design of the bridge in order to ensure that deer would be able to pass underneath “So at 10 to 15 kph we don't hit them” scoffed the sign. Another sign brought attention to was were referred to as “massive” guardrails which it was suggested were installed to “Protect the bridge from scratches, errant tanks, snowplows and drunks.”
Councillor Gerald Shortt who was enjoying some time dancing on the bridge with his wife, told The Independent that in his view it took far too long to get the bridge project completed.
“The highest possible quality is here, it just took a lot of money and twice as much time as I thought it should have taken,” said Shortt, “When I first went on council in 1973 we put a bridge over the Big Head River and the cost was $70,000 for the whole thing. And that's over the Big Head River, not just a stream.”
Shortt who is a candidate for Deputy Mayor in the upcoming municipal election expressed frustration that the significant increases in the cost of such projects in recent years is largely due to liability issues, and that is putting an enormous pressure on taxpayers.
“They'll take the best if there's a best to take no matter what the cost to protect their liability. But our taxpayers I don't think can afford this kind of quality all over and everywhere,” said Shortt.
