A bridge on County Road 43 over the South Nation River in Chesterville is now officially closed for rehabilitation, a project that has been on local radar since at least January. The bridge is completely closed to motorists, with County Roads 7 and 9 being used for a detour. The speed limit has also been reduced to 40 km/h in certain parts of the village to make the village safer during the heavier traffic period while the work is underway.
One Chesterville resident who spoke to the Times questioned why the detour route crosses the Canadian Pacific Railway line twice at grade – once on County Road 9 at the turn off from County Road 43, and once on County Road 7 in the north end of the village.
This could cause frustrating delays for motorists when a long or slow train is passing, or when railway maintenance vehicles are using the crossings to set up their hi rail trucks on the tracks.
A few social media users commented that in light of the work being done to the County Road 43 bridge, it would be nice if the Township could plan to fix the culvert on nearby Forward Road as well. This was a concern also expressed by the resident who spoke to the Times.
The work being done to the bridge, while inconvenient, is certainly necessary. Council voted earlier this year to have the road completely closed during the work rather than having one lane open with a traffic control system, since it saves costs and the work can be completed sooner.
The work on the bridge is expected to be completed some time in October. County Road 43 will remain closed in the Chesterville bypass section until then.