A covered bridge roughly one hour north of Moncton has been closed for safety reasons. Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DTI) spokesperson Jacob MacDonald said the Kouchibouguacis River #5 Covered Bridge near Saint-Ignace was closed Dec. 24 in the interest of public safety. “Deterioration was discovered during a recent inspection,” said MacDonald. MacDonald said DTI is evaluating future options for the bridge, but wouldn’t say when or if repairs will begin. Detours are in place on both sides of the covered bridge located via Camerons Mill Cross Road, Saint-Ignace Road, Gerasime Gallant Road and Desherbiers Road. Diccon Garrett lives right next door to the bridge and said the closure is an inconvenience. “We have to go around on the Desherbiers Road,” said Garrett. That can be a problem in the spring, he said. “It gets quite boggy.” Garrett said they want the bridge to be maintained. He said one of the reasons he and his wife bought the property is because it overlooks the historic bridge. “It’s a gorgeous, gorgeous bridge,” he said. “We love that New Brunswick heritage of the covered bridges and we love this property. It’s a beautiful view looking out onto the bridge.” Antoine Richard grew up in the area and said his father was working on the bridge when he was born but it doesn’t impact him much today. “It doesn’t matter to me really,” said Richard. “There’s lots of bridges, but I know some people, there’s two houses, three houses here - they want to have the bridge open I guess.” The 42-metre-long bridge was built in 1950. Three of New Brunswick’s historic covered bridges were torn down or dismantled in 2025. Dismantling of the Poirier Covered Bridge in Notre-Dame began in October due to its deteriorating condition. A modular bridge will be installed to continue access across the Cocagne River. The William Mitton Bridge in Riverview was demolished last February because it was beyond saving. The Shepody River #3 Covered Bridge near Riverside-Albert was dismantled in the spring, but was replaced with a single-lane modular bridge. Covered Bridges Conservation Association of New Brunswick interim president Pat Toth told CTV News in December that only 56 covered bridges remain in the province. “They said they closed it due to deterioration,” said Toth. “My reaction is always it wouldn’t deteriorate if it was adequately maintained. If it goes too long without maintenance then all of a sudden it’s too late.” Toth said there were between 340 to 350 in New Brunswick in the 1950s. The Hartland Covered Bridge, the world’s longest covered bridge, is scheduled to undergo repairs starting Monday. The bridge will be closed to vehicles, but the 390-metre-long bridge will stay open to pedestrians. According to DTI, the bridge will re-open to vehicles by June 15, but possibly earlier. -With files from CTV’s Nick Moore For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
