It’s January and that means residents of Miramichi are experiencing a now-annual round of anxious speculation: will the Centennial Bridge close completely this year?
And if it does, will there be any way to avoid the traffic apocalypse that seems certain to follow?
“Every time we get to this time of year, we hear about the bridge closure potentially happening,” Coun. Ryan Somers said.
“I heard that last year. And I heard that the year before. I always look at it as ‘the dreaded bridge closure,’ and we are seemingly relieved when it gets pushed back another year. But the reality is that it needs to be done.”
Coun. Ryan Somers says it’s always a relief when the bridge closure gets pushed back, but he said it needs to be done. (Michael Heenan/CBC)
The 1.1-kilometre span across the Miramichi River, completed in 1967, is a key artery not just for the city, but for all traffic moving between northeast New Brunswick and the southern part of the province.
About 13,700 vehicles used it daily in 2023, according the province.
Closing it to upgrade the driving surface — part of an overhaul announced in 2015 that was supposed to be finished last year — will push all that traffic onto city streets.
WATCH | ‘Nothing will be able to get through here’: Miramichi braces for gridlock:
Last-ditch bid for Miramichi bypass road as bridge closure looms
The long-delayed Centennial Bridge shutdown may happen this year — with no alternate route in place for traffic. » Read More
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