New bridge in Kemptville, Ont. is not falling down, mayor insists

The mayor of North Grenville insists the new County Road 43 bridge over the Kemptville Creek is not sinking. CTV’s Katelyn Wilson explains what’s happening.

The mayor of North Grenville insists the new County Road 43 bridge over the Kemptville Creek is not sinking or tilting, despite online speculation the bridge is falling.

Construction is underway on the new two-lane bridge as part of the widening of County Road 43 to four lanes between County Road 44 and Colonnade Drive in Kemptville. The work includes the removal and replacement of the existing two-lane bridge on County Road 43 with a new bridge.

In a post on social media, Mayor Nancy Peckford said she has fielded several inquiries about the bridge, “which some have wondered may be sinking as it appears to be on a bit of a tilt.”

Peckford insists, “the bridge is not falling!”

“This design feature is actually intentional - the bridge deck is engineered with an intentional cross-slope to ensure proper drainage once paving and finishing are complete,” Peckford said.

“While visually pronounced during construction, the slope will blend seamlessly into the finished road surface.”

In an interview with Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal, Peckford said the municipality decided to share information about the bridge after a few phone calls from residents.

“People saw that the bridge was on a bit of a slope and were worried it was sinking,” Peckford said. “We wanted to reassure everyone that is absolutely not the case.”

Peckford when you look at the new bridge and juxtapose it to the existing bridge, “it certainly does look like the two new lanes are a bit tilted.”

“But, certainly, that is, in fact, part of the design of the bridge.”

Construction on the widening of County Road 43 and the new bridge began in March 2024.

Peckford says progress on the bridge has been stalled due to supply chain issues, including “delays in sourcing specialized materials and components.”

“Our goal is to get the first two new lanes of the bridge open by November,” Peckford said.

Peckford says there was an “urgent need” to expand County Road 43, and the bridge needed to be replaced.

A new three-metre-wide shared pathway will also be installed on both sides of the roadway as part of the project.