Bridge work threatens to put stop to Oxtongue tourist traffic

Posted By CHAD INGRAM

Posted 1 year ago

Some residents of Oxtongue Lake are concerned that two major construction projects underway in the community will hinder the hamlet’s tourism industry.

The provincial transportation ministry has begun the planning process for replacing the Oxtongue River Bridge and the Oxtongue Lake Narrows Bridge, both of which are located along Hwy. 60 near the entrance to Algonquin Park.

Gary Schultz, president of the Oxtongue Lake Ratepayers’ Association, is worried the disruption could have dire consequences for the dozen or so resorts located in the small community at the northern extremity of Algonquin Highlands township.

“We have grave concerns,” Schultz said.

While Shultz recognized both bridges as being past their shelf life and said the community largely supported the ministry’s move to replace them, he said many local businesspeople are concerned about what the economic consequences might be.

“We just need to be able to survive the process,” he said.

Schultz is convinced the aesthetic unpleasantness that often accompanies large construction projects, coupled with restricted access to the area’s resorts, will mean financial hardship for local businesses.

“To go two consecutive seasons, you’re just about asking them to shut down,” he said.

Schultz’s own business, the Algonquin Lakeside Inn, is just metres from the Oxtongue Lake Narrows Bridge. While he said ministry representatives have assured him tourists would have access to his business, Schultz is worried that two years of construction will be enough to drive him to bankruptcy.

“They just tell you to do business as usual,” he said, adding he thought this was difficult to do when the entranceway to a resort is perpetually being changed.

“Traffic and construction staging will be determined during the detail design phase,” said Gordan Rennie, regional issues manager for the ministry’s northeastern division. “However, we will ensure that tourists continue to have access to local businesses and tourist resorts.”

Schultz suggested that because the two construction projects would likely involve a large number of crew members, perhaps the ministry could set up agreements with Oxtongue Lake innkeepers to house and feed work crews.

“The successful contactor will be responsible for making food and lodging arrangements for his work crews,” Rennie said.

The contacts for the two bridge projects are currently out to tender. Rennie would not provide an estimated cost for either project. “To ensure competitive tender bids, the ministry does not release project estimates,” he said.

Nor would Rennie comment on when construction on the projects might begin.

“Construction timing is not yet known,” he said. “The ministry will be better able to develop timelines once engineering is completed.”

At this point in time, the ministry has selected preferred replacement options for each bridge. In both cases, it looks like the renovations will involve using the bridges’ existing alignments and replacing their decks.

A public information session revealing these options was held in Oxtongue Lake on November 27.

Schultz said a number of locals showed up for this meeting to express their concerns about how the construction might affect the community’s economy.

“The ministry’s project team is currently reviewing the feedback and finalizing preliminary design engineering,” Rennie said. “Following completion of the preliminary design, a Transportation Environmental Study Report for each bridge will be circulated for a 30-day period.”

Rennie expects these reports to be filed late winter or early spring.