(Photo provided by South Bruce OPP).
The Transportation & Environmental Services Committee approved on June 17th that All Terrain Vehicle traffic and Multipurpose Off Highway Utility and Recreational vehicles be permitted on Bruce Road 3 between Balaklava Street and the Bruce-Saugeen Townline in Paisley until repairs are completed on the adjacent Rail Trail.
You may recall the fire on June 5th that caused extensive damage to the Willow Creek Bridge on the rail trail in the western section of Paisley.
That bridge is now closed and will not re-open until a solution is developed and repairs can be carried out.
In the meantime, a temporary detour has been put in place to allow everyone to use the rest of the rail trail, but it also means allowing ATV’s and other vehicles to use a portion of Bruce Road 3.
Director of Transportation and Environment Services Miguel Pelletier says a bylaw needed to be introduced so police do not ticket the recreational vehicle users for using the roadway.
He says, “Since we have a detour that works well, we don’t necessarily have the urgency to repair the bridge this year.”
Pelletier says it will allow them to do a proper assessment and then come up with a solution.