It could be a long time before anyone crosses the historic Silver Bridge in Bracebridge again.
The District of Muskoka recently offered more background information on why the Silver Bridge on Ecclestone Drive was unexpectedly closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic last week.
According to District staff, on January 6 they were alerted when Bracebridge operations noticed equipment clearance on the bridge seemed to be different than normal.
A District site inspection revealed deformation of truss members and the bridge was closed immediately as a precaution.
The following day a senior structural engineer inspected the bridge and confirmed issues with the truss system.
The bridge was built in the 1920s, and District staff indicate it was built in a severe environment spanning the Muskoka River at the Bracebridge Falls Dam.
All 49 District-owned Bridges are inspected every two years, in accordance with Ontario codes. District staff indicate several inspections were conducted throughout 2024 (most recently in November) and no issues were identified.
The bridge underwent major rehabilitation in 1985 and again in 2001, and another rehabilitation project was budgeted for this year. The scope of that work is now being adjusted to account for the additional complexities associated with the recent development.
District says detour time should be minimal (one or two minutes), and those detour routes should now be incorporated into online platforms like Google Maps and Waze.
There is no timeline for project completion as work is currently being done to assess the structure and develop a repair plan to reopen the bridge.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox three times per week!
Click here to support local news
0 Comments