It’s too soon to be pointing fingers, according to the premier.
Kathleen Wynne says before we start assigning blame for the failure of the Nipigon River Bridge, we need to understand what went wrong first.
She maintains the province doesn’t know what happened, and that’s why the contractor is off the hook, for now. Wynne says she’s reconciling the fact that this puts her government’s credibility on the line, by ensuring the right people are on site gathering information.
She says the incident highlights the need for contingencies, but adds this won’t necessarily expedite the building of the second bridge. Wynne says it’s already on a pretty tight timeline, with construction slated to last two more seasons.
Meanwhile, the province won’t say if the use of logging roads north of Nipigon is a possibility.
Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle says discussions about potential emergency routes have been ongoing since the Bridge has been down to one lane.
He adds the fact that there’s no alternate route between the east and west is the exact case they made to four-lane the highway. (Photo: Caryn Ceolin)
