A bridge that burned north of Mitchell last weekend is not expected to be reopened.

RCMP have determined the bridge along Road 39 North was intentionally set on fire. Today, it is closed to traffic and Manitoba Infrastructure (MI) is left to decide what will happen at that crossing.

Ruth Eden is Acting Assistant Deputy Minister with Manitoba Infrastructure. Though she has not been to the site, Eden says she has seen photographs.

"Just from looking at the pictures, it's going to stay closed," she says. "There is definitely a lot of damage that's been done to that bridge and it is a safety issue. So we will not open it up."

Eden says MI has met with the Rural Municipality of Hanover to discuss that crossing, noting it is very important to them. She says one thing being considered is to replace the bridge with culverts.

"It all depends on how much water comes down that drain," she says. "And what capacity we need for the structure."

Eden is noncommittal on a timeline for construction. In fact, she says a lot of work must be done before construction can even start. Eden says before they get to that point, they will do an analysis, look at design, determine the type of construction, decide whether environmental approvals are needed, establish a cost estimate and then get approvals for the project.

As for a cost estimate, Eden says if they end up building a new bridge at that location, it will probably cost in the neighbourhood of $1.5 million.

"It's a lot of money," she says. "It's a lot of money."

With the bridge now closed, Eden says motorists are using adjacent mile roads as a detour.

"(We) just thank everybody for their patience, it is an agricultural area and we understand that," she says. "We have met with the RM and understand the priority from their perspective as well."

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