Residents of homes in central Newfoundland say they still have no access to their homes, months after the bridge closed

The Rocky Brook Road Bridge was closed in December 2023 due to safety concerns. It remains closed, forcing residents to park their cars next to the bridge and walk to their homes, a representative said. (Submitted by Gary Noseworthy)

Residents and property owners on the eastern shores of Paul's Lake and Joe's Lake in central Newfoundland say they still have no access to their properties following the closure of the Rocky Brook Road Bridge in December.

The bridge near the town of Badger was closed to all vehicles after a committee made up of area property owners alerted the provincial government in September to unsafe conditions on the bridge.

Since then, the bridge has remained closed, and the committee said in a press release shared by Rocky Brook Road Bridge Committee Chairman Gary Noseworthy that residents were upset because the government had not responded with a solution.

“How would you feel if someone dug up your street and blocked your way home?” Noseworthy told CBC News.

“Real estate values ​​have plummeted.”

Noseworthy says they sent the government months ago a plan to sell Crown land in the area to fund the bridge's reconstruction, but have received no response.

When the government announced the bridge's closure, it said access to the area would still be available via Aspen Brook Resource Road. However, Noseworthy says this is not the case as the road is not maintained and they do not have the right to plow it, making it inaccessible to vehicles.

Residents are forced to park their cars on the side of the Rocky Brook Bridge and walk to their homes.

Noseworthy says he was told it was the responsibility of residents in the area to repair the bridge

Gary Noseworthy is chairman of the Rocky Brook Bridge Committee. He says they sent the provincial government a plan to fund repairs to the bridge but haven't heard back in months. (Submitted by Gary Noseworthy)

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“They asked that we set up an association, take responsibility and help raise funds,” he said. “It is unreasonable to expect a small group of people to assume economic responsibility.”

“We are a community like any other. We have, you know, 300 cabins and houses on these lakes and we pay significant taxes. We're just asking them to step up and support us here and help the economy of Central Newfoundland.”

CBC News was unable to obtain comment from Newfoundland and Labrador government officials despite repeated requests.

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