Bass River, N.S., bridge partially collapses

N.S. bridge partially collapses A Bass River, N.S., bridge under construction partially collapsed on Wednesday.

A bridge in Bass River, N.S., partially collapsed on Wednesday.

The wooden structure was under construction when one side gave way and fell into the river.

“I think there is a certain amount of discouragement, but also we don’t really know at this time if there will be delays of any form,” says museum manager Laura Sharpe.

Sharpe says historical photos suggest the current bridge is the fourth one used to cross Bass River.

“The current bridge was built in 1960 to replace a bridge that was destroyed, a big metal bridge that was destroyed when a military bus crashed into it during a snowstorm,” Sharpe says. “The current bridge from my understanding was supposed to be a temporary bridge when it was built just a kind of a stop gap to replace the one that was destroyed and unusable.”

Bass River is well known as the home of the Dominion Chair Company and the wooden bridge was chosen as a way to honour the area’s connection to woodworking.

Crews were at the site Thursday, but no work was planned for the day. There is no word yet on what caused the collapse.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.