Durham Region has expressed unhappiness with being left by Ontario’s MTO, with ownership, and resulting construction responsibility of a temporary – and permanent – bridge over Beaver River in the Township of Brock.
“Advise the Ministry of Transportation that the Regional Municipality of Durham strongly disagrees with their decision to transfer ownership of the closed Beaver River Bridge, located on Regional Road 15 over Beaver River immediately west of Highway 12, in the Township of Brock, to the Regional Municipality of Durham, prior to the design and construction of the replacement bridge by the ministry,” said an end-of-May report from the region’s commisioners of works and finance, to the regional council.
The bridge in Beaverton has been closed since November 16 last year, as it has reached its end of service life. The construction of the temporary bridge is expected to begin this summer and targeted for completion by early fall. The permanent bridge is planned for tender in fall 2025, with construction being planned for spring 2026 until summer 2027. The provincial government has approved $16.6 million in funding for a temporary bridge on Beaver River.
Transfer of Ownership
In a letter provided on March 26, the MTO advised that the region is in the best position to replace the bridge in a timely manner by continuing design work under the current engineering consultant assignment. In addition, they planned to begin the process of transferring ownership of the bridge and additional Regional Road 15 right-of-way to the region and seek approvals to provide funding to the region for the completion of the design and construction of the new bridge,.
“Regional staff disagree with the position the MTO took in their letter dated March 26, 2024, and recommend that Regional Council advise MTO accordingly. However, to avoid further delay, staff reluctantly accept the responsibility and seek authorization to proceed with the design and construction of a temporary and permanent bridge on behalf of the MTO,” the report said.
On April 8, the Township of Brock had sent a letter to the region noting the critical importance of the bridge for the community, including the
impacts of the closure on response times for Brock Township Fire.
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