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Hampton residents shocked after scaffolding collapses next to covered bridge

Water pressure from an overnight rainfall caused scaffolding surrounding the Smithtown Covered Bridge to collapse Thursday.  (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC - image credit)
Water pressure from an overnight rainfall caused scaffolding surrounding the Smithtown Covered Bridge to collapse Thursday. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC - image credit)

Just one week before its scheduled completion, construction work on the Smithtown Covered Bridge in Hampton, N.B., has been delayed after the scaffolding next to it collapsed.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure confirmed the collapse on Thursday due to high water that resulted from heavy rains overnight Wednesday.

No one was injured and there was no damage to the bridge.

"The scaffold installer for the project was contacted early Thursday morning to assess the area and began removal of scaffolding, which will continue today and into next week," Tyler McLean, Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson, said in an email Friday.

"Some scaffolding may remain in the river, but will be removed once the water recedes."

McLean said the department is evaluating what it will do next.

The bridge project is now delayed by another two weeks.

Hampton residents shocked

"It was very humbling what the power of the water did," said Hampton resident Pete Nickerson.

Government of New Brunswick
Government of New Brunswick

"The bridge itself is picture-worthy, the scaffolding work they put up before the storm was picture-worthy… knowing what was there before and what [is] there now… I couldn't believe it."

Nickerson said the bridge built more than a century ago is iconic in Hampton. He said the community is relieved it wasn't damaged.

He said he feels for the workers who worked hard to build the scaffolding and were nearly finished with the bridge.

Nickerson leads the Humble Bandits, a group of Hampton residents who clean up litter throughout the province, and says it was disappointing to see chunks of metal floating down the river.

"I'm assuming I'll be finding bits and pieces of this over the next few summers," he said.