Brant residents fight to reopen Cleaver Road bridge after abrupt closure

The single-lane Cleaver Road bridge, now closed to vehicles, has become the centre of debate among residents and councillors. While staff recommend converting it to pedestrian use only, many in the community are urging that it be repaired and reopened to traffic.

Celeste Percy-Beauregard

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

It was July 2023 when Brant County residents say Cleaver Road bridge was “abruptly” closed without any prior warning or input from the community.

The century-old, single-lane bridge is one of 15 the county is looking at permanently closing in the coming years, much to the frustration of some residents. 

“For two and a half years now, the majority of residents have consistently called for the Cleaver Road bridge to reopen to vehicles,” Andrea Bowden told councillors on Tuesday — her fourth time speaking before them on the subject.

A routine structural inspection had found it was no longer safe for vehicles, according to a county Facebook post earlier this year.

At that time, the municipality asked for community feedback when considering the future of the bridge, with options ranging from replacing it to permanently retiring it.

But with the community largely in favour of reopening it to vehicles, Bowden questioned the staff recommendation that came forward this week suggesting it should be permanently converted to pedestrian-use only.

Without the “vital” link, residents of the Highland Estates area just west of the Brantford Municipal Airport have been cut off from “direct access to essential services and the existing road network,” Bowden said.

The bridge crosses Whitemans Creek, a cold-water fishery for trout, making it a protected waterbody and limiting how it can be rehabilitated, staff said.

Some residents, like Judy Kostiuk, are uncomfortable travelling the alternate route, Robinson Road. 

She described it as “winding,” “treacherous” in the winter, and “not safe at the best of times.” She also had concerns trying to turn onto Highway 24.

Ward 4 councillor David Miller agreed the alternate route is “a dog’s breakfast.”

Staff said they are looking into improvements and solutions.

The detour adds about six minutes to travel times in normal traffic.

While staff said emergency services have not expressed concerns, Miller, who sits on the paramedic committee, supported residents in their worries about what that could mean for emergencies.

Arriving within six minutes is the paramedic goal for a sudden cardiac arrest call. “So if you add another six minutes, I don’t think they’re going to make that,” he said.

But staff said repairing the bridge is “not as simple as dropping something” — like a buried metal culvert, as Bowden suggested — in Whitemans Creek below.

It’s a protected cold-water fishery for trout, limiting how it can be rehabilitated.

It would cost around $2.8 million upfront to make the repairs that would allow cars back on the bridge.

Removing it would cost around $250,000, while pedestrian conversion could be up to $900,000.

But Kostiuk said the group has paid taxes over the many years “and would like to see that money used toward this new bridge or repaired bridge.”

Particularly because an inspection report from 2006, which Bowden got through a Freedom-of-Information request, showed the bridge should have been repaired or rehabilitated by 2011, she said. 

Because “overweight trucks” on the bridge lead to its closure, staff were looking into “the potential of lowering the load limit” and other ways to maintain it, Mark Eby, the county’s director of infrastructure and asset management, told councillors.

It’s why it wasn’t closed to traffic immediately after the report, he said. 

Cleaver Road bridge one of 15 the county has listed as candidates for closure.

One resident spoke in favour of the pedestrian-only bridge, garnering a “boo” from one of his 20 or so neighbours in the chambers.

Councillors were divided on the issue and ultimately referred it to the long-term financial plan discussion in December.

In the last 13 years the county has already removed three bridges — Burt Road, Reeker and Middleport — and converted Brant Mill to pedestrian-use only.

Celeste Percy-Beauregard’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.