West Montrose Covered Bridge reopens to limited weight vehicles

Public meeting scheduled to discuss how to additionally protect the bridge in the future

Waterloo Region – The Region of Waterloo is hosting a public meeting Feb. 12, 2013, to present information and gather community input on proposed improvements to the bridge that are designed to prevent future damage and preserve the heritage structure.

The meeting will take place in Woolwich Township Council Chambers, 24 Church Street West in Elmira. The public is invited to drop in anytime between 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will also be a formal presentation at 6:30 p.m., and Regional staff will be present to answer questions.

The West Montrose Covered Bridge was reopened Feb. 4, 2013 to limited weight motorized vehicles after being closed in September when a floor beam that supports a portion of the bridge deck failed, likely due to overloading by heavy vehicles, despite weight restrictive signage. Buses, trucks and tractors are still prohibited from crossing. Horse and buggy traffic proceeding at a walking pace were allowed back on the bridge in December.

“The Region of Waterloo, in collaboration with the Township of Woolwich and local residents, is committed to maintaining the West Montrose Covered Bridge as a viable open bridge with the appropriate limitations to ensure that the heritage integrity of the structure is conserved,” said Tom Reitz, the Region’s Manager/Curator of the Waterloo Region Museum who oversees the bridge as one of the Region’s heritage assets. “This meeting will be an opportunity to discuss next steps and long-term options for the future operations of the bridge.”

Some of the options under consideration that will be presented at the meeting are: limiting access to the bridge through speed, height and load restrictions and enforcement; fire protection systems; and ongoing bridge maintenance requirements.

The public can also review the information that will be available at the public meeting and complete an online comment form on the Region’s website at regionofwaterloo.ca/heritage.

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For more information, please contact Tom Reitz, Manager/Curator of the Waterloo Region Museum at 519-748-1914 or treitz@regionofwaterloo.ca.