Sudbury’s Nelson Bridge officially reopens

Dozens turned out for the official reopening of the Nelson Street bridge, a pedestrian bridge in Sudbury, on Friday morning.

"It's more than a bridge, right?" said Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre.

"It's a real connector for people that are walking and biking in the area. It's a historic bridge, as well."

Speeches from Greater Sudbury officials, the Rainbow Routes Association and fitness enthusiasts marked the occasion, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Nelson Street bridge has been closed for more than a year for construction to replace the 50-year-old bridge that had exceeded its lifespan.

Lefebvre said the bridge was corroded and unsafe for the public.

"Either we shut it down or obviously improve what we had here," he said.

"Council decided to put the funding in place to it to improve this because it's a key piece of infrastructure for people in the area."

The Rainbow Routes Association worked with Greater Sudbury on the project. Rachel Mantas, executive director, said the association contacted Trails Canada to request financial assistance to repair the bridge.

"We let them know this is an essential connector route," Mantas said.

"We would like some additional support if they could provide funding and Trans-Canada trail said, yes, that is exactly what we would want to do. They said they would step up and provide that funding."

She said Trails Canada contributed $60,000 of the $2.8 million cost.

"This bridge is an essential connecting route on the Trans-Canada trail that runs 92 kilometres throughout Sudbury," Mantas said.

"The Trans-Canada trail actually goes from coast to coast. But here within Sudbury, at the local level, children use this as a walkway to get to school. People use this as a walkway to get to Bell Park, one of our more beautiful trails here in the Sudbury area."

Lefebvre described the bridge as a key piece of infrastructure for the city.

"This is a huge tourist area, as well. Certainly, Bell Park is just down the road," he said.

"People can walk around and so that's right. And it's a connector to our downtown."

Updates include widening the bridge by three metres to better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.