Premier Doug Ford was on Manitoulin Island today with news on the drive to replace the 112-year-old Little Current Swing Bridge.
The premier announced the detailed design contract has been awarded to replace the single-lane swing bridge with a double-lane bridge that also includes a pedestrian walkway and a bike lane. The bridge on Highway 6 provides the only road access to Manitoulin Island.
No timeline was provided in the news release for when construction will start nor when the work is expected to be completed.
“As Manitoulin Island’s only road crossing, the Little Current Swing Bridge has been a crucial link for families, workers and businesses for over a century,” Ford said today at a press conference in Little Current. “By building a new and wider bridge, we’re supporting the community’s continued economic growth and ensuring residents have reliable year-round access to our province’s highway network for the next 110 years.”
Stantec Consulting Ltd. has been awarded the detail design contract for the new bridge. Planning, preliminary design and environmental assessments were completed in September 2023, the province said in a news release today.
The bridge project falls under the Ontario government’s $30-billion plan to build and renew transportation infrastructure in the province.
“The Little Current Swing Bridge is not only an iconic landmark in the community, but also a vital link for residents, tourists, businesses and emergency services in accessing Manitoulin Island,” said Northern Economic Development and Growth Minister George Pirie in the news release.
As reported by NorthernOntarioBusiness.com, the province announced in 2021 it had chosen a design for a new bridge to replace the existing structure, which is 112 years old and nearing the end of its life.
The province completed the planning, preliminary design, and environmental assessment for a new bridge in 2023.
Completed in 1913 as a rail crossing before being converted for vehicular traffic, the single-lane bridge crosses the North Channel in the upper part of Georgian Bay in Lake Huron. It provides the only year-round vehicular access between Manitoulin and the rest of Ontario.
While the bridge remains closed to marine traffic through the winter months, during the summer, it swings open once per hour, every hour, to let boats pass through the channel.
It’s become an iconic symbol for Manitoulin Island, which is a popular summer destination for cottage owners and tourists.
During peak summer months, some 4,500 vehicles rely on the bridge each day.