THUNDER BAY - A legal battle between the city of Thunder Bay and CN Rail will finally be heading to court over the future of the James Street Swing Bridge.
Legal proceedings are scheduled to begin on March 1, 2017 in Superior Court in Thunder Bay and will continue up to March 3.
Thunder Bay city manager, Norm Gale, said the city is pursuing a simple solution to an issue that has been ongoing for four years.
“The city is pursuing opening of the CN Bridge,” Gale said. “It is our hope that Justice Fregeau will order CN to ensure that the bridge is open to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic in all laneways.”
The James Street Swing Bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic following a fire in Oct. 2013. The bridge, which connects the city of Thunder Bay to the Fort William First Nation, was reopened to rail traffic shortly after the fire.
In Feb. 2015, CN filed a suit seeking clarification on its obligation to maintain the bridge. The city then filed its own suit, asking the Superior Court of Justice to interpret the 1906 agreement between the city and CN.
The 1906 agreement states CN, then the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company, will maintain the bridge in perpetuity.
There have been more and more calls from the public and members of Fort William First Nation to reopen the bridge to vehicular and pedestrian traffic following a deadly collision on the Kaministiquia Bridge on Highway 61.
