The iconic swing bridge in Little Current on Manitoulin Island is going to be replaced with a structure similar in design.

Over the last four years, Stantec Consulting Ltd. and the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) have studied how to replace the structure, which is nearing the end of its service life.

“It seems ironic that we will have a spare swing bridge when this is all over,” said Alan MacNevin, mayor of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands.

The current bridge provides the only land access to Manitoulin Island. It carries both vehicles and pedestrian traffic across a narrow channel separating Manitoulin Island from Goat Island. It sits 17 ½ feet above the water and provides a 160-foot opening on either side of the central pier for water passage.

The bridge swings open for boat traffic for the first 15 minutes of each daylight hour during the summer.

On Tuesday, the province announced the results of online surveys that found the preferred replacement would be a two-lane swing bridge located west of the existing structure. It was preferred by 74 per cent of responders, out of 10 options, taking into account the environmental, community and engineering impacts.

Other options included putting in a car ferry, building a tunnel, installing a movable bridge or replacing it with a fixed bridge. No cost estimates for the new bridge were released.

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