Ontario, Canada Selects EllisDon to Manage Swing Bridge Replacement Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 15, the Government of Ontario, Canada announced that EllisDon has been selected as the construction manager for the Highway 6 Little Current Swing Bridge replacement project. The project will replace the existing bridge with a new two-lane swing bridge that also features a pedestrian walkway and bicycle lanes; the existing bridge is approximately 110 years old and is the only year-round road access to Manitoulin Island.

The project is located in the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands in northeastern Ontario. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation previously completed planning, preliminary design, and environmental assessment, and in October 2025 awarded the detailed design contract for the new bridge to Stantec. According to the project's dedicated website, the recommended option is to build a new through-truss swing bridge approximately 80 meters west of the existing bridge, and Stantec is currently responsible for detailed design and the Class Environmental Assessment work.

The new bridge adopts a two-lane configuration, replacing the existing single-lane bridge while retaining the operable swing bridge structure. The project has now advanced from detailed design to the determination of the construction manager. In May 2026, overwater drilling and foundation investigation work was carried out, covering the North Channel waters of Georgian Bay in Lake Huron, to provide field data for the detailed design of the bridge foundations.

The existing Little Current Swing Bridge was built in 1913 and is located on Highway 6, serving as the only road connection between Manitoulin Island and the Canadian mainland. According to Ontario government data, approximately 4,500 vehicles cross the bridge daily during peak summer periods. The provincial government completed the planning, preliminary design, and environmental assessment for the replacement project in 2023, after which it entered the land, right-of-way, and detailed design stages; detailed design was launched in 2025, and the selection of EllisDon as construction manager marks a new implementation milestone for the project.