Pierre Delorme Bridge reopens

It's been two long yearsbut the people in theRural Municipalityof Ritchot, just south of Winnipeg,finally got their bridge back.

The Pierre Delorme Bridge was reopened at an official ceremony Tuesday at 11 a.m.

The bridge, which crosses the Red River at Highway 210, was closed Aug. 21, 2009, after an inspection revealed a pier supporting the structure sunk three metres and caused the deck to buckle.

Residents in the area, particularly people in the town of St. Adolphe,had to drive a prolonged detour in order to get into Winnipeg, about 14 kilometres away.

The bridge connects two major north-south routes, Highways 59 and 75, providing a direct path to the city. But the detour meant drivers had totake a longer,winding St. Mary's Road into Winnipeg,almost doubling the timeof their commute.

"The Pierre Delorme Bridge is a key piece of infrastructure in the Red River Valley and I'm pleased that area residents and local businesses will again have access to it," said Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton as he reopened the structure.

"We invested over $15 million in the reconstruction work and although the contractor's progress was delayed last summer and fall by near-record rains and high water levels, the structure has been reopened well before spring."

All traffic lanes on the bridge are now open, however, there will be brief, single-lane closures over the next few weeks and during the summer to complete final repairs, the province stated in a news release.

As well, road approaches and landscaping work will be done later in the spring and summer around the bridge.

In addition to the bridge repairs, the structure has been rededicated.New signs identify the bridge by name, acknowledging the long history of the Delorme family in the area.