
CN Rail Offers Solution on Bridge
THUNDER BAY = If the City of Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation agree, there could be cars crossing over the James Street Bridge.
CN has offered to share its rail deck with vehicular traffic for the long term.
In a statement from the company, CN states, “While this offer would require a significant investment in the bridge, none of those costs would be borne by the City or by FWFN. This solution constitute a cost-effective solution that can be implemented in the very short-term and would also accomodate emergency and heavy-weight traffic, something the old, obsolete road structure did not allow for”.
CN states that “The 1906 agreement does not contemplate shared access and will need to be replaced by a new, modern-day agreement. CN has demonstrated it possesses the leadership to offer an outside-the box solution and is confident the City and FWFN possess the leadership to accept it”.
The bridge closed to all traffic after a fire at the end of October 2013. CN was able certify the bridge for train traffic in the centre of the bridge. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic has remained unable to cross the bridge.
The impact on business both on Fort William First Nation and Westfort has been heavy.
The bridge has a long history, and it has been the City of Thunder Bay’s contention that the bridge must be maintained by CN Rail. The bridge was build by the Grand Trunk Railway and that company was taken over by CN Rail.


