Ontario Minister of Transportation Kathleen Wynne visited Centre Wellington Township last week and received not only an earful about the township’s 106 bridges, but also a map showing were every one of them is located.
Centre Wellington has campaigned long and hard to obtain funding to help with its bridge upkeep, and over the past term there were 104 of them.
Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj said in an interview after the inaugural council meeting that two former culverts have now been upgraded to bridge status.
She said Wynne was able to spend an hour with officials and Ross-Zuj outlined for her three major concerns.
The first was the upkeep of bridges and roads, the second was the threatened cuts to the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund grant that could cost the township $700,000 this year, and the third was active transportation. That latter includes encouraging people to walk and bicycle.
Wynne was able to stay for an hour to consider the township concerns before continuing on to other municipalities. “She was very receptive to it all,” Ross-Zuj said.
