Malloch tells Tide News it's a happy day. "This is exactly where we want to be. It's good news for the community. I've had the minister's support on this, he knows this has been a priority since day 1. As you know, there is a petition out there with 800 names, and I'm one of those names." The petition he is refering to was sent out to St. Stephen and surrounding areas in support of keeping the covered bridge for tourism and historical reasons.
Malloch says right now they are just waiting for a final engineering report from the Department of Transportation to compare with a report from the insurance company.
He says exact dates have not yet been set, but construction should start this fall.
The covered bridge was damaged on January 21st of this year when a driver lost control of his car due to high speeds, driver inexperience, and slippery conditions, before slamming into the side of the bridge.
All three occupants were injured in the crash, the car was totalled, and the bridge was left missing a large section on one side. It has since been closed to traffic.
(Photo by Murray Weeks)
