Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
MANSFIELD ET
PONTEFRACT
Sept. 13, 2017
The renovations for the Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge in Mansfield may finally begin this year, after a number of delays postponed a call for tenders over the summer.
An engineer strike and federal regulatory changes were cited as the reason for the delays in construction, but Pontiac MNA André Fortin remains confident that work will start before the year is up.

“There was a strike on the [government] engineers’ part […] which delayed the finalization of the plans,” said Fortin. “There was some regulatory changes on the federal side that made it so we had to change the plans a little bit. Really, I’m not looking to make excuses at this point, I’m just looking to finalize the plans in order to go to tender by next month.”
The project was expected to go to tender last June after an announcement by the Ministry of Transportation in April. This was delayed when the engineers’ strike occurred in May, but Fortin has expressed renewed determination in getting the project going.
“I’m determined that by October we’ll have the final tender process in place,” he said.
Despite this late start, Fortin believes that some of the work can begin even in the winter months.
“It’s something that can be done in wintertime,” said Fortin. “I think there’s parts of it that are easier to do in wintertime, because when the river freezes it’s actually easier to do some work.”
“But really from our end what we can control is the plans and the tender process,” he said. “So if we kick off the tender in October, it’s possible to think that work can start shortly after the tender process is completed.”
Fortin said that he would be providing further updates to the public on the Marchand Bridge in the coming weeks.
“I want a bridge that will be something to be proud of for decades and decades to come,” said Fortin. “So we’ll make sure that the bridge isn’t only repaired but really looks the best possible.”