A crowd of over one hundred residents gathered Friday at a bonfire in Iroquois Falls in support of re-opening the old Trestle Bridge closed by Resolute Forest Products (RFPI) last August 2014.
Among those in attendance were Frank and Eveline Bourassa who helped to organize the bonfire event.
The Bourassas own a cabinet making business in Iroquois Falls.
They said the bridge is vital for the quality of life in Iroquois Falls as many residents have camps, cottages and other properties across the Abitibi River.
Since the closure last August, it has been difficult for residents to access their properties.
The closest bridge across the river is located north in Cochrane.
A round trip from Iroquois Falls north to Cochrane across that bridge back south to the property on the east side of Iroquois Falls and back is over 100 km or over two hours to travel for a trip that would take minutes to make across the Trestle Bridge.
“Our Trestle Bridge is so dear to our hearts,” said Michael Shea Mayor of Iroquois Falls, “it has been here so, so long, and shutting down the bridge is so heart breaking.”
Mayor Shea said it was ridiculous that citizens of Iroquois Falls have to drive hundreds of kilomitres get to their own properties which are only minutes away.
“Working with the Trestle Bridge Committee we can keep the bridge going,” Mayor Shea added. “It will come back to life, but it will take time.”
The Mayor explained that the Town of Iroquois Falls has been working with Resolute Forest Products and other levels of government to find a solution that will keep the bridge vital for another 50 or sixty years.
The question is who will own the bridge which comes with a price tag for repairs and also additional insurance costs.
The bridge was originally built in 1922 by Abitibi Power and Paper and provides a link to Lake Abitibi from Iroquois Falls.
There are at least 100 camps or cottages located on Lake Abitibi.
RFPI closed the bridge on August 10, 2014 on the grounds that it was unsafe and would cost too much to upgrade.
The reason for the closure followed an engineering assessment of the bridge that recommended $5 million improvements.
In a letter to then Mayor Gilles Forget, Raymond Garneau president and CEO, RFPI claimed it shut down the bridge for safety reasons.
The bridge has a five-tonne weight limit and there is concern that exceedances could cause the bridge to collapse.
The town offered to use volunteers to prevent heavy vehicles from crossing the bridge.
Resolute shutdown of its operations in December, 2014 and dismantled its machinery.
The company said it will cooperate with the Town of Iroquois Falls and other levels of government to find a non-competitive buyer.
Iroquois Falls is studying options for finding a buyer.
The Abitibi pulp and paper mill was founded in 1912 by Frank Anson.
For 90 years it was the world’s largest supplier of newsprint.
Thorough a series of bankruptcies and mergers, Abitibi Pulp and Paper Mill became Abitibi-Price in 1994, then Abitibi-Consolidated and AbitibiBowater in 2007.
In 2009 the company filed for creditor protection in the United States and Canada, with a debt of US$6 billion.
AbitibiBowater emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2010 and changed its name to RFPI in 2011.
(PHOTO: Mayor Michael Shea of Iroquois Falls (right) and Councilor Troy Delaurier (left) at the Iroquois Falls bonfire to show support for saving the only bridge across the Abitibi River.)
