SPRINGVILLE, N.S. -Seventy trips there. Seventy trips back.
Thirteen kilometres one way equals 1,810 kms total.
That’s what’s facing Springville farmer Malcolm MacLean to get the corn he harvests from one piece of farmland. It has to be done in a brief period of time, and in past years he’s used the Springville Bridge, saving about 1,120 kms round trip during harvest.
“I make four passes on that bridge a day, at the least, and I do that 360 days a year,” MacLean said. “I don’t expect them to keep a bridge open for me to commute, but when I bought this place, we lived here knowing I could get to the farm in eight minutes.”
This year, the bridge is closed and a date for it to reopen is uncertain, so MacLean is resigned to taking the long way around through Bridgeville with the harvest for his 84 dairy cows.
It means tacking another seven hours of travel time on to his harvesting schedule.
MacLean and his family have farmed for more than 40 years and have expanded in this area specifically because the commute between the family’s original homestead and his 30-acre property is manageable.
MacLean understands that most people would have little sympathy for his extra driving time even though it weighs on a person at the end of a long day. But when you look at it from a business standpoint, things come into perspective.
“When we grew this corn, the crop was planned before the bridge was closed,” he said, adding no notice was given to residents about the closure.
The Springville Bridge closed in 2015 for a few months during which time his family estimated it would have cost them about $15,000 if it remained closed an entire year.
Ironically, that is about the same amount of money it cost the province to make repairs to the bridge that consisted of replacing three floor beams. It also reduced the weight limit from 20 tonnes to 10 tonnes, which had an impact on the area because not everyone has been able to use it.
According to the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, this time there is no firm date as to when the bridge will reopen.
“The bridge was closed due to safety concerns while options are being considered regarding rehabilitation or replacement,” said Marla MacInnis, a transportation spokeswoman. “There are currently no timelines for a repair or replacement plan as the assessment is not yet complete.”
Working in an industry that pays a fixed rate for his milk, there is no way for MacLean to recoup those extra costs.
“To build a business around that bridge and then to have it shut down, it’s not right,” he said. “They need to keep the infrastructure in place that was there when we built the business.”
He said the extra commute also means tractors and farm equipment are on roads longer which often tries the patience of motorists.
“What used to be a 15-minute trip on a tractor is now 25 minutes,” he said. “You can’t pull gear over because shoulders are not there anymore. We try to do the best we can, but often you have to stay back and wait for us. It is a traffic hazard.”
Kevin Stuart with the Plymouth Fire Department has his own concerns about the closure. He said whether it’s his own department, mutual aid or the EHS, it’s important that everyone arrive at a scene as quickly as possible.
“We would like to see it reopen. Every second counts,” he said.
Pictou County Coun. Andy Thompson said the bridge’s closure is creating a division in this rural community. He asked council to support a letter to the province asking that it be included in the capital budget for the upcoming year.
“There is a lot of concern from the residents,” he said. “There is no information coming and when that happens, rumours start. There is a fear that it won’t be open and it’s been there since the 1880s. We need that bridge.”
