Jan. 30, 2009
Marching feet have replaced diesel engines on the old train bridge in Fredericton and if some Miramichiers have their way, the same thing will happen to the Morrissy Bridge.
New Brunswick Trails Council president emeritis Dave Petersen said the pedestrian bridge was so well received by Fredericton residents, about 6,000 of them turned out for the grand opening.
"That's the impact it had at that time on people."
People in the Miramichi who want to save the Morrissy Bridge have used the Bill Thorpe bridge as a model for what the Miramichi's bridge could become, if it can be saved from the wrecking ball.
The Bill Thorpe Bridge has been open for pedestrian use since 1997.
Safety concerns forced the Morrissy Bridge closure in September after an inspection revealed structural problems. An engineer's report stated the cost to repair the 405 metre long bridge could surpass $15 million.
The bridge was slated for demolition, but a community group managed to get the government to wait until an inspection could be done to look into the feasibility of turning the bridge into a pedestrian crossing, like the one in Fredericton.
Although he didn't know much about the Morrissy Bridge's structural integrity, Petersen said his group hired an engineer to check on the train bridge and found there were no problems.
"It's going to be a long time before pedestrians wear this bridge out."
Unlike the Morrissy Bridge, which was still in use when the government shut it down, the Fredericton group didn't have the same safety issues because trains weren't using the bridge in Fredericton at the time, he said.
"It wasn't being used by the railway."
Petersen said once they knew there wasn't a safety issue, it became an issue of community support for the project.
"It isn't like we hade huge numbers coming out and demanding this."
A small group of people spearheaded the initiative, starting with a public workshop that evolved into the NB Trails Council, he said.
"Before you knew it the ball was really rolling."
Fredericton Parks and Trees Department spokesman Harold Boone said a survey of the city's residents showed 87 per cent use the capital's trail system on a regular basis.
"A lot of those would be the train bridge. That's the focal point."
If the Miramichi group succeeds in saving the Morrissy Bridge, the hope is it will provide pedestrians and cyclists with a link to trails on both sides of the river.
Boone said Fredericton was able to create a safe environment for pedestrians, with a lot of older people and residents who are concerned about the environment using the trail system.
"I think also the demographics play a big part."
NB Trails Council executive director Poul Jorgensen said he didn't know how much it cost to resurface the Bill Thorpe Bridge, but a new deck on a bridge in Grand Falls cost just over $100,000 about four years ago.
Jorgensen added the Grand Falls bridge had a span of about 325 metres, but he didn't know how much it would cost to repair the Morrissy Bridge.
"It all depends on what is needed underneath. The worst of it is every time you look at these bridges every one is different."
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