East River Bridge Is Falling Down

The East River Bridge in Sheet Harbour has been serving as the only connecting point for the people east of Sheet Harbour to the town itself for 50 years. I used to walk over it on a daily basis to get to school and back. The bridge is one of many which are in desperate need of repair and finally it will get its chance.

Pieces of concrete have been falling off in large chunks yet it had still passed the visual safety check every year. Now the concern has gotten so great that the province is going to do emergency repairs starting next week with a complete overhaul within the next three years.

I am heading to Sheet Harbour this weekend and will take a look at the damage myself to see how bad it has become. The province is insisting that it still remains safe and that residents should not worry about using it. Even 10 years ago I remember standing on it while a truck drove by and almost loosing my balance so I have no idea what shape it is in now. My question is if the repairs are being done so quickly, how did it pass the visual safety?

And what exactly is a visual safety?