A decision made this week by Huron Shores council means the permanent closure of the Dean Lake Bridge, prompting backlash from residents who say the move threatens public safety and daily life.
On Wednesday, Huron Shores council was faced with a decision to either rehabilitate the Dean Lake Bridge at a cost of nearly $8 million or decommission it for $2.2 million and spend up to $5 million on improvements to Chevis Road.
In the end, council decided to support the latter — effectively closing the Dean Lake Bridge for good.
After that decision, proposed repairs to Chevis Road become even more crucial, because it becomes the only road servicing the Dean Lake community.
In an interview, Mary Johnson, core representative for the Community Voices Committee, said the result of the vote was not what she and other area residents had hoped for.
"With one decision, they're going to change something that has been serving the community for 117 years, and they're going to do it with eight minutes of deliberation?" said Johnson about the decision.
Johnson cited a treasurer's report that stated the municipality failed to keep up with levy increases.
"It's a little like ignoring a problem which has led to the bigger problem, and then saying it's too big we can't do anything about it because the province isn't here to step up," she added.
SooToday reached out to the Huron Shores CAO and clerk for comment on Friday, but did not receive an immediate response.
Johnson said an Oct. 22 public engagement session was the only time in two years that residents were allowed to give feedback on the future of the bridge.
"Mayor (Jane) Armstrong, although they called it an engagement session, started the meeting with a statement that said they won't be engaging," said Johnson of the Oct. 22 meeting.
"In our view, that wasn't an engagement session."
Now that a decision has been made to decommission the bridge, Johnson said even that part of the process has been less than transparent.
"How will they do it? Can they do it? What approvals do they need to do it? What will be the actual execution? We know none of that and I'm not even sure council knows. If they do, it isn't reflected in any document that they've shared publicly," she added.
Area resident Angie Coombs submitted a petition to council this week with over 900 signatures on it, asking Huron Shores to restore access to the bridge.
In a letter accompanying the petition, Coombs said the closure is not just a nuisance, it is a matter of public safety.
"The current detour adds eight to 15 minutes or more to emergency response times. In critical situations such as medical emergencies, fires or other threats to life and property, these delays may be life threatening," said Coombs in the letter.
She said the closure has also affected the daily lives of those who depend on the bridge, including now unreliable mail and package delivery and longer commutes for workers and students, among others.
"We are asking for what every community deserves: safety, accessibility and access to vital services," said Coombs in the letter.
In January, the Dean Lake Bridge was closed after it was deemed unsafe following a professional recommendation from Kresin Engineering Corporation.
KEC’s assessment of the structure just east of Iron Bridge was based on a review of load evaluation reports, biennial inspection reports, and steel and concrete testing results, said a press release from the municipality at the time.
It was briefly reopened with reduced load limits before being closed again in April after a culvert collapse on the road leading to it.