THUNDER BAY – Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins is optimistic a solution to reopen the James Street Swing Bridge to vehicular traffic could be in place this summer.
The span, which connects the First Nation community to Thunder Bay across the Kaministiquia River, has been closed for more than four years after a blaze broke out on the northern approach spans on the night of Oct. 29, 2013.
The ongoing closure has prompted a years-long legal battle between the city and the Canadian National Railway, which owns the bridge. Last year the Ontario Superior Court of Justice rejected the city’s bid to force CN to reopen the bridge, with the city bringing the case to the Ontario Court of Appeal in January.
During a joint meeting between Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation councils last month, Collins urged the city to stop dragging the bridge into courtrooms and instead focus on building a new structure. At that meeting, the chief also said he had been working on a short-term plan to have temporary Bailey bridges installed on the cantilevers of the existing bridge.
Speaking on Friday, Collins said he has meetings scheduled with CN and provincial and federal ministers in an effort to restore the direct connection to his community.
“We haven’t gotten final approval from officials yet. We’re working on that,” Collins said. “Hopefully at the end of those meetings we’ll have a clearer understanding of where we’re going to go with the solution.”
Collins said the details of the plan are currently being reviewed by engineers.
“If all the cards fall into place and they come together in a timely manner over the next little while, we see that the bridge could be open by late June, early July,” Collins said.
Collins had previously said the price tag could exceed $1 million, compared to the estimates of $25 million for a new bridge.
But the chief has received indication the Bailey bridges could be more than just a quick fix.
“After talking to the company, it’s a 75-year lifecycle to the setup that we’re looking at right now,” Collins said. “We do think we have a short-term and long-term solution.”
Thunder Bay city manager Norm Gale said he is scheduled to meet with Fort William First Nation officials next week where he hopes to hear details of the proposal but declined further comment.
