After rallying to save the bridge and the restoration work that lasted over four years, Phare Ouest and the Mansfield-et-Pontefract municipality announced the inauguration of the lighting of the Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge.

On May 20 Pontiac MP Sophie Chatel, MNA André Fortin, Warden Jane Toller, Mansfield et Pontefract Mayor Sandra Armstrong, Fort Coulonge Mayor Christine Francoeur and other partners were . . .

invited to a press conference for the announcement and celebration at the George Bryson Cultural Centre.

Louis Harvey, Vice President of Phare Ouest started with some opening remarks and thanked everyone for coming. “Thank you to all those who believed in this project that highlights Quebec’s historical heritage through the restoration of one of the last covered bridges still accessible in Quebec,” said Harvey.

Harvey was reconginzed by MRC Council of Mayors on Wednesday for his efforts in restoring the bridge.

“I feel very privileged to be here with this community as a witness of how this community got together in order to save this iconic landmark. Louis is just an amazing person to carry this project and I just wanna congratulate him,” said Chatel.

Phare Ouest is a group of volunteers who have been working to create cultural offerings in the Fort-Coulonge and Mansfield area for seven years and officially became a not-for-profit in 2019.

The bridge dates back to 1898 and was classified as a historic landmark. It is now 124 years old and 152 meters long, making it the longest covered bridge in Quebec, which was highlighted by Armstrong in her speech.

“Today we celebrate the official opening with permanent interactive lighting. I am very moved to be able to share this moment with you all,” said Armstrong.

She also highlighted that after four and a half years of work she is proud to announce that the George Bryson Heritage Museum is also open for community members to enjoy and discover the rich history of the area.

Christine Francoeur highlighted that although they are two towns, it is one community and this bridge has been a great way to bridge that gap.

“I’m sure that tourists are going to come in now and they’re gonna see this and they’re gonna want to stay. It’s going to bring people in from all over and that’s what we want, we want people to see our beautiful region,” said Francoeur

After community members of Mansfield and Fort-Coulonge rallied for the bridge in 2015 to bring attention to the deterioration of the bridge, it was later taken up by the warden who started a petition.

Toller and Fortin were instrumental in ensuring it was made a priority and pushed for its restoration and revitalization efforts.

Fortin said, “It’s a project that everybody in Fort-Coulonge and Mansfield and everybody in the Pontiac will be proud of for generations to come because it’s our heritage.”

When Toller was invited to speak in front of the crowd she highlighted that without Fortin, who took the petition she started and presented it to the national assembly to get funds to restore the bridge, she wouldnt have been able to do it alone.

“Everyone in this room has contributed to the success of today and we all look forward to tonight. And finally, as I stand in this house, which was my great, great grandfather’s, I can say that as a lumberman, a banker and a politician, he is very proud today of your accomplishments with this bridge, and also for the saving of the house,” said Toller.

Some of the partners involved included Novom Interactive a company that created the application for visitors to interact with the permanent lighting system on the bridge.

Tourisme Outaouais and Tourisme Pontiac were also major players in making this project happen.

There are about eight different light setups that people can control through their phones.The application is only available on Android for the time being but they plan to release a version compatible with iPhones, said Harvey. The application is called Marchand Bridge and can be found on the Google Play Store.

The official permanent lighting of the bridge took place on May 20 at 8:30 pm. It is now open and available for residents to enjoy.

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