A pedestrian bridge spanning over Highway 111, connecting two Dartmouth communities, has been closed for over a month following a car crash that compromised part of its structure – but there’s still no timeline for when it will reopen. Amanda Lowery’s two kids had relied on the bridge for daily trips to Lake Banook, but the closure has forced them to change plans. “It means they either have to go a long way through the Tacoma Centre, which is pretty dicey on a good day, or wait for somebody to give them a drive,” she says in an interview. There are pylons, ‘sidewalk closed’ signs, and now chain-link gates on either side of the bridge, which connects communities in the Woodlawn and Penhorn Lake areas. “It really is bridging two communities,” Lowery says. “There’s a beautiful park on the other side of the highway that folks can’t access easily anymore without driving.” Accessibility concerns The bridge borders NDP Leader Claudia Chender’s Dartmouth South riding. “[The bridge is] really important,” she says. “It’s something that, we’ve been in touch with Public Works about for the better part of the last decade, because kids use it to get to school. People use it to get over the highway to the adjacent shopping areas.” But she says there have long been accessibility concerns for people who use strollers, and a lack of snow clearing in the winter due to traffic below. “We know that there are people that rely on that [bridge],” including “seniors, for groceries.” Public Works Minister Fred Tilley wasn’t made available for an interview on Friday, neither was PC MLA Tim Halman, whose Dartmouth East riding sits on the opposite side. While there is no publicly available timeline from the province, Chender says she’s been told it could take a few months for repairs. “I think it’s too long,” she says. “But I think it shows a government that is not prioritizing active transportation, is not prioritizing pedestrians.” No repair timeline In a statement to CTV News, the Department of Public Works says a steel structure leading to the stairway was damaged during a car crash on the August 22 weekend. There is now a support beam that is leaning, as is its foundation. “The Department has hired a consulting engineer to assess the structure and determine repair options and procedures,” a provincial spokesperson said in an email. “The structure will remain closed until that work takes place.” But Lowery fears it’s an accident waiting to happen, and wants it fixed soon. “This is a four-lane highway,” she says. “There’s no easy way of getting across it. “We’re going to start seeing people running across the highways like they used to.” Chender hopes the bridge will be fixed by the new year and hopes it will eventually be more accessible. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
