Save Andrewsville Bridge

04/25/2023

https://andrewsville-bridge.ca/why-is-the-bridge-still-closed/

04/24/2023

ANNOUNCEMENT: Please see below for information relating to the upcoming Lanark County Counsel meeting. The bus holds 47 people and we are hoping to FILL it! The more people that come and show support the better :)

04/16/2023

REMINDER: Today 2-4 pm Merrickville Legion Town Hall!
Come ask questions and gather information on the progress of saving the Andrewsville Bridge.

*cookies and coffee are being served*

04/12/2023

**UPDATE**
April 12 2023
We have put together 2 town hall meetings. These are going to be used to share information. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, get up to date information and hear what has been happening. This is a great way to be a part of your community.

MERRICKVILLE TOWN HALL - APRIL 16th from 2-4pm at the Merrickville Legion

BURRITTS RAPIDS TOWN HALL - APRIL 18th from 7-9PM at the Burritts Rapids Community Hall

Please sign the petition and show your support. I even heard there might be some snacks ;)

03/17/2023

**UPDATE**
HUGE shoutout to Rory and Karen for all of the meetings in February!

Consideration — that’s all the Friends of Andrewsville Bridge (FAB) are asking for before a decision is made to close a more than 100-year-old bridge. Last fall, after hearing of Jewell...

03/14/2023

17 more days until the bridge is supposed to open!

03/12/2023

Checkout these awesome Drone Video's of the bridge and surrounding area

03/10/2023

**UPDATE**

At its meeting Wednesday night, Lanark County Council passed a motion to refer a report on the Andrewsville Bridge back to public works staff to collect more information.

The motion followed a delegation at the public works committee of the whole meeting last month by representatives of Friends of Andrewsville Bridge, as well as a detailed report by Public Works Manager Sean Derouin. Council is considering the future of the bridge, which was constructed in 1904. The bridge spans the Rideau River and provides access to the Parks Canada swing bridge that crosses the Rideau Canal at Nicholson’s Locks. It has had a 5-tonne load limit since 1952, and inspections have identified it has outlived its service life and continues to deteriorate. Since 2018 it has been closed to vehicles in the winter to reduce further damage by de-icing chemicals. It is estimated it will need to be permanently closed to passenger vehicles within five years. Jurisdiction of the bridge is shared between Lanark County and the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville (UCLG). Its average annual daily traffic count is fewer than 200 vehicles.

Derouin indicated five options are being considered:
1. Rehabilitation of the existing bridge
2. Constructing a new single-lane bridge with reconstruction of the current approach
3. Complete removal of the existing bridge
4. Conversion to a pedestrian bridge
5. Do nothing and close the bridge to traffic

“An evaluation of options completed using a weighted scoring matrix resulted in option four as the preferred solution,” Derouin said. Public consultation took place between Nov. 1, 2022 and Feb. 24, 2023, with 32 responses received. The selection of the preferred option by Lanark and UCLG councils will determine how the environmental assessment study proceeds. UCLG is also currently considering the options.

Council has requested clarification related to applying development charges to the project, the application of a climate lens and further information related to growth pressures on the bridge, including potential changes to travel routes, and additional information about emergency services access. As well, more information related to UCLG’s decision and their growth impact was requested.

03/10/2023

Our Friends of Andrewsville Bridge have come together and made some signs! It truly is a group effort.

Comment below if you would like an 8.5x11 poster to display for support!

The snow will be gone soon 🤞 and the bridge will be open for traffic in 3 short weeks. Let us all come together and save this lovely bridge. (Please sign the petition found in the pinned post)

03/06/2023

Weekly check-in:

Comment below your favourite bridge picture or memory. The picture might even become our new cover photo!

03/06/2023

My local Merrickville people, Listen up! Over the last 11 years we have been fighting to save the Andrewsville Bridge.. Here we are yet again.

We all know that the bridge is used daily by many of us on here to get to work, school or even to just take a lovely scenic drive. Please help us in advocating to keep this bridge open.

We all have different reasons for keeping the bridge open but we all need to work together to make it happen. We have an extremely well done presentation highlighting the bridge and our community and we need all of you to make this happen Please support us by writing a letter of support in keeping the bridge open.

Letters of support can be sent to [email protected]

Andrewsville Bridge The Friends of The Andrewsville Bridge would like to share this with our close neighbors of Merrickville, Buritts Rapids, Kemptville, Leeds and Grenville, and Montague Wolford. You may not be aware but the county is trying again to permanently close this bridge. It will have a de...