Raging Petawawa River closes bridge

The swollen, raging Petawawa River is eroding its shoreline, forcing the closure of a bridge and the cancellation ofa whitewater paddling event.

The Petawawa Boulevard bridge connecting the town's military base and business district was closed to traffic Tuesday morning.

According to Renfrew County, the erosion caused by the high, swift-flowing water is threatening the bridge's stability.

"Some of its [structure] was looking a little dubious, so the county moved in to shore up the bridge and to try to deflect some of the water into the centre of the channel to try and take away some of the pressure," Petawawa Mayor Bob Sweet said Wednesday.

"They've been working with dozens of rock trucks, filling in the embankments."

There's no word on when the bridgemay reopen. According to Sweet, about 17,000 vehicles cross it daily.

Some residents living near the water have opted to leave their homes, Sweet said. The Royal Canadian Legion branch, which is near the bridge, has also been vacated.

"We're erring on the side of safety," Sweet said."We're not as bad as some areas further down the Ottawa Riverbut when you see these volumes of water, it's pretty intimidating."

High water

Somewhat ironically, the annual Hell or High Water whitewaterpaddle racing festival, which was scheduled for May 11 on the river, has been cancelled.

"As a result of this epic amount of water, the town has experienced significant infrastructure damage to the park, retaining walls [and] river banks,"wrote organizerGraham Kent on Facebook. "Flows of this magnitude have undoubtedly made some changes to the riverbed, and as a result the features and rapids as well.

"There is just far too much damage to be able to host a festival."

Kent encouraged participants and volunteers to pitch in with flood relief efforts instead.

State of emergency

Garrison Petawawacan still be accessed from the intersection of Highway 17 and PaquetteRoad, the city said, and businesses on the river side of Victoria Street can be accessed via Algonquin and Bert streets.

Centennial Park on the Petawawa River and Petawawa Point at the junction of the Petawawa and Ottawa rivers are also closed.

The mayor declared a state of emergency in Petawawa on Sunday.

There is sand to fill sandbags available on Risto, Tall Pines, Shameless and Melody Trail roads, Southshore Drive and Deer Run Trail.

The military has also been helping sandbag and protect properties in the town, Sweet said.

River Road is open to local traffic only and Rantz Road is closed by Highway 17.

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The county that includes Petawawa, about 160 kilometres northwest of downtown Ottawa, has qualified for provincial disaster assistance, meaning residents could be covered for cleanup,essential repairs and lost or damaged belongings.