The provincial government has committed to a repair plan for the Anderson Bridge in Miramichi, N.B., and said structural engineers will begin immediate assessments to determine whether the existing crossing can be stabilized for light vehicles while a permanent replacement is finished.
This work is urgent because the Centennial Bridge, the city’s main crossing, is scheduled for a multi‑month closure beginning in spring 2026 to allow for major deck work. Without a Route 8 crossing, drivers are being detoured onto Routes 415, 420 and 425 — narrow local roads that would lengthen and complicate travel across the river.
The Anderson Bridge has been closed since Sept. 26, 2025, after a truck’s raised hydraulic arm (boom) struck the structure and caused significant damage. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has said it is prioritizing efforts to ensure a crossing is available during the Centennial Bridge work, but officials also note the outcome depends on the results of detailed engineering assessments. DTI deputy minister Kelly Cain told a legislative committee in October 2025 that the damage to the old bridge was “far more severe than even the pictures give it credit,” and the department has been focusing on opening the replacement crossing as soon as possible.
Provincial officials say they are trying to avoid a situation in which both main routes across the water are out of service at the same time; engineering assessments and repair planning for the Anderson Bridge are being advanced to reduce that risk.
