The Robinson Bridge was recently in the news, with emergency work on the running surface requiring its closure from December 18 to December 27.
What about the reconstruction of the bridge, mentioned several times in the past?
Whether you speak to the City or the Ministry, the echoes differ.
“What you need to know is that the total reconstruction work is planned, according to what we are told, in 2026.”
— Julie Bourdon, mayor of Granby
The mayor adds “that there may be changes”.
As for the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTMD), “we cannot predict a date,” indicates Jeanne Séguin-Laflamme, spokesperson for the Estrie general directorate of the Ministry.
More precisely, the reconstruction of the Robinson Bridge is not included in the MTMD projects for the years 2024-2026.
The duration of a road project varies greatly depending on the Ministry of Transport. (Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility)
If it is present in the Ministry’s 2025-2030 five-year program, “we cannot yet put forward an implementation date”, indicates the spokesperson.
“The project is in design, it will be announced later; but it will be done before 2030,” indicates Ms. Séguin-Laflamme.
“It’s a bridge to which we pay special attention. It is very monitored, but very secure.”
-— Jeanne Séguin-Laflamme, spokesperson for the MTMD
“Although the bridge shows signs of age, assessments carried out by the Ministry demonstrate that the structure is safe and presents no danger to users traveling on it. The bridge is not subject to any load restrictions,” specifies the spokesperson.
Adding a cycle path
We have been discussing “for three years with the Ministry” about the Robinson Bridge, recalls Mayor Julie Bourdon.
The City will cover the portion of the bill associated with the widening of the bridge. Municipalities are responsible for the pavement of bridges, but not for their structure, which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport. (Catherine Trudeau/La Voix de l’Est)
The municipal council has already expressed its grievances to the MTMD, in particular the addition of a fourth traffic lane to the bridge as well as a multifunctional path, as indicated in a council resolution passed at the beginning of June 2022.
“The City is also ready to assume a bill of more than four million to provide for this work on the project,” wrote The Voice of the East at the time.
Mayor Bourdon justified this widening to “facilitate the transit of cars from the south to the north of the city”.
A dilapidation that does not date from yesterday
The bridge on Robinson Street South was built in 1957, specifies the Ministry.
Its obsolescence is not new.
The City of Granby planned to rebuild it in 2009, at a cost of three million. An inspection at the time concluded that the structure, located at the intersection of Robinson and Cowie streets, had practically reached the end of its useful life.
The last general inspection of the structure was carried out in September 2024.
