Photo: AIMRoads

A contentious bridge closure will be discussed at an upcoming town hall meeting in the North Shuswap.

North Shuswap residents have been invited to a town hall meeting to discuss planned repairs to the Scotch Creek Bridge.

Members of AIMRoads and the Ministry of Transportation will be on hand at the North Shuswap Community Hall on Thursday evening to answer questions about the bridge project, which is scheduled to run from Oct. 16 to Nov. 10.

During that time, the bridge will see overnight closures from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. to allow for the repair work to take place.

The upcoming bridge closure is coming under fire from local residents who have taken to social media to post their concerns over the timing of the repairs and to ask what available alternatives are in place for access and egress.

“Now with the bridge work, a temporary bridge should be put in as 7 p.m. is going to leave people stranded from their homes yet again," one comment said.

The Scotch Creek bridge was closed Aug. 18 when the Bush Creek East wildfire went on a wind-fuelled run, ravaging North Shuswap communities and forcing people to evacuate the area by boat.

A Facebook post from contractor AIMRoads said while the bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic overnight for the duration of the project, foot traffic will be allowed to cross.

"Emergency response plans are in place for emergency crews and will allow crossing for emergency vehicles only," the post said.

The post also invited anyone with questions about the bridge project to come to the town hall meeting.

The meeting will take place Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the North Shuswap Community Hall, which is located at 5456 Squilax Anglemont Rd. in Celista.