CN has completed repairs to the James Street Swing Bridge and it is scheduled to open to traffic this Saturday. This follows the closure of the bridge in October 2013 due to a fire and a lengthy legal battle with CN who was ultimately ordered by the courts to uphold its contractual obligation to repair and reopen the bridge to all vehicles under the 1906 Agreement.

The bridge repairs required widening of the City's roadway approaches. This was completed within CN's construction schedule timeline so that the bridge could now reopen to traffic. 

“We are pleased to see this important connection between Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation finally reopened,” said Mayor Bill Mauro. “We recognize the challenges and frustrations citizens from both communities have faced without this access point. CN, as directed by the highest court in Ontario, has fulfilled their obligation to repair the bridge and we can now move forward as more connected communities.”

“Thunder Bay City Council has been resolute on this matter, their resolve has been unwavering from the beginning,” said City Manager Norm Gale. “The City’s legal team and engineers provided expert advice to City Council throughout this process.”

The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the City in June of 2018, and ordered CN to reopen its bridge and subsequently the Supreme Court of Canada denied CN’s leave for appeal.

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Contact:          City Manager Norm Gale, 625-2224