Brass Point Bridge Closure Leaves Commuters Behind

Jemma Dooreleyers | Aug 14, 2025

When Alida Moffat learned of the over 900 day closure of the Brass Point Bridge, a bridge that connects residents of Battersea and Seeley's Bay to main veins to Kingston, she immediately had some questions.
According to the Government of Canada website these bridges provide an important link between the City of Kingston and the Township of South Frontenac. The bridges are currently in poor condition and have already been downrated from 15 tonnes to 10 tonnes.
Moffat is one of the many residents that uses the bridge almost daily to cut time off of her commute to Kingston and Gananoque and without the bridge, she will be adding 30 minutes to an already lengthy drive.
Moffat's main concern with the statement, which she expressed in an email to Parks Canada promptly after learning about the bridge closure, was that people who use the bridge for motor traffic (which utilizes the bridge 24/7 year round) will have to drive a 43 km detour for almost two years, while boat traffic (which is seasonal to the spring and summer) will not be affected by the closure at all.

In her email, Moffat also questioned why the bridge could not have intermittent closures when not being worked on, why the Township of South Frontenac has not been more involved in the planning and outreach process to its residents and how emergency services will navigate the windy roads of the suggested detour in speedy and winter conditions.

Instead of an answer to these questions, Moffat recieved an invitation to a virtual information session put on by Parks Canada so people could engage and ask questions directly to the managers of this project.
The meeting, which was held on July 30, gave information on the bridge and why it needs reconstruction.
The project involves an overhaul of both the swing and fixed sections of the structure:

It was reiterated in the meeting that while vehicle access will be suspended, waterway navigation will continue uninterrupted. To aid pedestrians, a temporary crossing will be put in place, which will be accessible outside of boating hours and during non-navigation seasons. Additionally, a detour route will be available throughout the construction period. It was also reiterated that the bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic from the winter of 2025 to the end of 2027.
Many residents raised questions in the meeting that Parks Canada deemed the responsibility of the Township of South Frontenac and The City of Kingston to flush out the details - such as how emergency services will adjust their response time and route to accommodate the bridge closure.

The meeting left Moffat feeling unsatisfied with the answers and still unsure about how and when her concerns are going to be addressed.
“That concern of mine has not been alleviated by the open house nor by follow-up information by Township Staff.”

According to Moffat, the impacts of the project on vehicular traffic (which cross the bridge daily all year, unlike the navigation traffic which is seasonal), have not been articulated nor recognized.

“As a regular user of the bridge, I would wish there could be pressure brought to bear on Parks Canada (eg by the local municipalities on behalf of their residents) to either a) phase the closures so it is not a 2 year worst case complete shut down or b) bring in some type of temporary bridge crossing option,” she said.
In a statement to Frontenac News , Parks Canada said it hopes to maintain close communication with residents about this project.

“Parks Canada is committed to keeping local residents, stakeholders, and partners informed as we move forward with the Brass Point Bridge Rehabilitation project on the Rideau Canal National Historic Site.
The steemnt went to say that Parks Canada will "share information bulletins with those on our stakeholder mailing list after the contract is awarded and a more precise schedule is known; provide project updates on our website as new details become available; and host an additional public information session to respond to questions, and gather feedback.

“All interested members of the public are encouraged to join the stakeholder list to receive an invitation to future public information sessions and stay informed as the project progresses. To be added to the stakeholder list, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..