(File Photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Important to the Community

Petition to repair & reopen Old Nipawin Bridge gets 1,600 signatures

Apr 6, 2023 | 3:04 PM

Hundreds of residents in and around Nipawin want to see the Old Nipawin Bridge on Highway 35 repaired and reopened.

A petition was started just before Christmas, lasting until mid-March, with around 1,600 people signing.

This includes those from Nipawin, Carrot River, White Fox, Choiceland, nearby First Nations communities, Saskatoon, Regina, and even as far as Alberta.

The bridge officially closed to vehicle traffic in 2021 by the Ministry of Highways after an independent appraiser raised different safety concerns. It’s still being used by trains.

The decision to close it without any reals plans to repair it was not a popular one in the area.

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“We thought we had to do something,” said Maureen Wolchuk, co-organizer of the petition. “It’s important to have that bridge there, I feel.”

She explained it takes much longer to get into Nipawin and vice versa. Drivers now have to use the newer bridge on Highway 55 which is around seven kilometres from the old bridge.

“It’s a good 15-minute difference if you want to stay on pavement,” she said. “You can take some gravel shortcuts but they’re not much of a shortcut, they may save an extra kilometre or two.”

For Wolchuk, this has become very tedious as she has been known to travel in and out of Nipawin three to four times a day.

Along with convenience, the community wants to see the bridge repaired due to its history. It was officially built in 1931 and over the years had become a tourist attraction for those visiting the area. Wolchuk noted people can still visit it on foot, but this can be an issue for older people and those who have a disability.

Meanwhile, the Town of Nipawin recently applied for two programs to help repair the bridge. They ultimately want an answer from the provincial government on what they plan to do as the area feels like they’ve been left in the dark on the situation.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow