Northumberland County is advising the public of the closure of Loomis Bridge on Pinewood School Road in the Municipality of Brighton.
As the bridge has approached the end of its lifespan the County has, in recent years, imposed load restrictions to ensure ongoing public safety, further increasing these restrictions in 2017 as a result of the bridge’s condition. With the most recent inspection completed in May 2020 confirming a level of structural decline that cannot be resolved through repair, engineers have concluded that the bridge must be closed to vehicular traffic.
“We regret the inconvenience to residents in the area who may use this bridge as part of their regular travel routes,” states Director of Transportation, Waste and Facilities Mo Pannu. “Our priority is to ensure public safety on our road network, and unfortunately the condition of this bridge has reached the point where a closure is warranted.”
The single-lane timber-deck Loomis Bridge accommodates some of the lowest-volume traffic of the 112 bridges managed by Northumberland County. The County is confident that redirecting traffic via alternative routes using County Road 30 – which is accessible from either side of the bridge—will not result in significant impact to traffic on these routes.
Barriers will be erected today on either side of the bridge to prevent access, and signage will be posted to advise residents of the closure due to safety considerations.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
