Cass bridge closure under consideration

MORRISBURG – A plan that could close a county road connecting South Dundas north for over five months drew mixed responses at a special council meeting Monday night.

SDG Counties is planning a bridge rehabilitation project for an area known as Cass Bridge, on County Road 31 2.5 kilometres north of Winchester Springs in 2026. While the bridge is in North Dundas Township, the closure has implications for residents in South Dundas. CR31 is the main north-south road connecting Morrisburg to the south-end of Ottawa. The road carries significant commuter, commercial, and agriculture traffic, averaging 4,700-5,300 vehicles per day.

The bridge, which last saw minor repair work more than a decade ago, is due for a major rehabilitation. Engineering company Stantec has proposed two plans for the project: staged construction – leaving one lane open with lights to direct the traffic; and a complete shut down of the bridge. Closing the bridge will save about eight weeks and $670,000 in costs. If staged, the project will take 36 weeks, cost about $3.72 million, and potentially span across two construction seasons.

The proposed detour for a closed Cass Bridge would use County Roads 5, 16, 3, and 38 to the west of CR31, or County Roads 7 and 43 to the east of CR31. Either detour adds an estimated 17 minutes to driving time through the area.

Faced with a project costing between $3.12 and $3.76 million, SDG council is meeting September 25 to decide which method to proceed with so that tendering can begin in the new year. Going into that meeting, South Dundas council met to discuss the options and give feedback to Mayor Jason Broad and Deputy Mayor Marc St. Pierre, as they serve on counties council.

“Although the bridge is in North Dundas, it certainly affects South Dundas extremely,” said Broad as he led the council discussion. “Obviously the length of detours is a major problem. I also believe the total length of time for the detours could be longer based on the traffic. You could have 30 cars in a row all having to stop at a stop sign.”

Councillor Tom Smyth said the options for crossing the Nation River, even on non-County roads is limited. “Literally, the options are Chesterville, Highway 31, and Inkerman, and so everybody’s going to be stuck either going one way or the other.”

Councillor Danielle Ward spoke more favourably about the budget impact, seeing a $671,000 savings with closing the bridge.

“That’s something that weighs on me, because it’s $671,000 in cost savings, which is substantial – quite a few percentages on the tax base in savings,” she said.

Ward added that she was concerned about emergency vehicles, and asked if it meant South Dundas would have an additional ambulance to “hover around.”

While Ward was interested in that answer, she concluded, “personally, it doesn’t affect me, but I think the savings is substantial.”

St. Pierre asked what the signal time might be like if one lane of the bridge was open, and cars were alternating turns crossing. CAO Ben deHaan, who is the former Transportation Director for the Counties responded that the time was set based on the length of the bridge and how long it would take for vehicles to cross.

“We had done the County Road 31 overpass over the CP line, and that was a staged project,” deHaan explained. “I don’t remember ever receiving any complaints. I think there are ways to successfully set it up to minimize delays, but there are absolutely delays associated with staged construction.”

St. Pierre pointed out that working in Ottawa, he was not keen on adding a 65 minute commute one way.

“There’s not a lot of routes that I can take. This certainly is an impact. I’m not fussy about adding 17 minutes, and I don’t think a lot of people that commute are – they’d want that extra 17 minutes” he said. “I’m hoping that it can be staged, but I just think there’s more information that needs to be forthcoming.

Councillor Cole Vienotte, who attended remotely said he was concerned load restrictions on the detours for commercial traffic.

“Are there any routes that could have lower restrictions that could be in place during the spring and fall, different than 31,” he asked. CR 31 does not have seasonal load restrictions.
Broad said he was worried about what the impact of changed driving habits would do.

“Anyone travelling 31 north, their going to access 43 in Chesterville, or stop in Winchester. Once they start new habits, do they continue in the future?”

Broad explained that sending traffic elsewhere may drive business out of the municipality, harming the business community.

The discussion also touched on agricultural concerns about the width of the single lane during staged construction and if it would accommodate commercial or agricultural vehicles. Smyth also mentioned about school bus traffic, and possible EMS disruption.

The 16-minute long meeting concluded with no resolutions passed and no unified direction for the two council members to go to County Council with. Council then entered closed-session.
SDG Council will meet Thursday at 8:30 a.m. to decide the matter.

Editor’s Note – At the September 25, 2025 special council meeting, council supported proceeding with staged construction, meaning that one lane of the bridge will remain open during the project. See an update to this story here.