Drivers ignoring weight limit jeopardize West Montrose Covered Bridge, residents say

The historic covered bridge in West Montrose, Ont. is seen on Tuesday, June 21, 2011.

The future of the last covered bridge in Ontario came into focus Tuesday night.

A public meeting was held in Elmira to consider options for the future of the West Montrose Covered Bridge.

The bridge has a long and historic past, but has seen better days. It was closed to all traffic last fall when a support beam failed, and has only recently reopened to pedestrians and vehicles weighing less than three metric tonnes.

“We need to reinforce that to drivers, not to drive over the bridge if they’re over that weight limit,” said Tom Reitz of the Region of Waterloo, which hosted the meeting.

Most of those in attendance agreed that drivers disobeying the weight limit was putting unnecessary strain on the bridge and jeopardizing its future.

“I think it’s more an education of the public, for them to be aware of the danger they’re putting the bridge into,” said West Montrose resident Hans Pottkamper.

“The bridge is really important. It’s become a symbol of the township … and it’s a piece of our past. We need to hang onto it.”

Members of the West Montrose Residents Association have been working with regional officials to preserve the bridge. They suggest installing cameras to catch vehicles entering over the weight limit, and fines to anyone caught doing so.

Reitz says such a solution would require significant resources to enforce.

Also discussed at the meeting were maintenance issues such as repairs needed to the roof.