Officials say M-65 bridge over Thunder Bay River is deteriorating; replacement weighs on limited funds

Transportation staff said the M-65 bridge over the Thunder Bay River was built in 1953 and is now at the end of its service life, with extensive deck delamination that needs repair.

"This bridge, M 65 over Thunder Bay River, was built in 1953. It's currently 72 years old and at the end of its service life," the Transportation staff said. "What's driving the poor condition rating of the structure is the deck, specifically the deck surface. You'll see we have a lot of areas marked out on the deck. Those are the delaminated areas of the bridge deck that are in bad shape and need of repair."

The staff described the structure as "scour critical," saying the stream bed could wash away during a major flood event and that full replacement would be the only long-term fix. "I would ballpark it around $10,000,000," the Transportation staff said, noting that the North Region receives about $5,000,000 a year, meaning the project would represent roughly two years of that region's funding to program for replacement.

A Fire/EMS responder said the bridge's condition raises immediate safety concerns because a fire/EMS station sits about 200 yards north of the crossing and houses are located immediately south of the bridge. "My concern is, for fire and EMS is the fact that there are houses, right immediately on the south side of that bridge within a stone's throw, you might say, from our station. And if those people are in need and they have an emergency, it would increase our response time to those residents and to those people, significantly," the Fire/EMS responder said. "In a life saving aspect of it, time is everything. So it it is a huge concern."

Staff also described visible concrete loss on the bridge superstructure and said preservation work can slow deterioration but cannot prevent the need for eventual replacement. "You have to address safety needs first," the Transportation staff said. "We're always making sure the bridges are safe for the public. But there there comes a time where we might have to consider some difficult decisions on which ones might stay open, which ones might close or be posted."

The discussion focused on condition, safety and funding; no formal action or funding decision was recorded in the provided transcript.

The bridge and nearby emergency services will remain under review as staff weigh preservation, posting or replacement options against limited North Region funding.