A bridge at Excursion Inlet that connects the Ocean Beauty Seafoods cannery to its water source has been closed, with no funding for repairs in sight.

The Haines Borough Assembly discussed funding options at its meeting March 28.

The U.S. Forest Service closed the bridge, which provided vehicle access to Neva Lake. Ocean Beauty draws its water from the lake, using the bridge to access water intake equipment.

Interim borough manager Brad Ryan said the Haines Borough committed around $270,000 in secure rural schools funding to the project with the hopes the Forest Service would match that amount for a replacement bridge from Prince of Wales Island, but that bridge was too short.

Ryan said the Forest Service has shown no interest in replacing the bridge.

“It isn’t moving forward at this point, but we have ensured with Ocean Beauty that they can stage a three wheeler…across the bridge so they can run up and check their intake for their water line,” Ryan said.

The bridge is around 70 years old and is determined to be structurally deficient, doesn’t have proper barrier railings and the durability of the foundation is unknown, said Forest Service regional structural engineer Rod Dellandrea. He said a closure order was signed in July 2016.

Assembly member Tom Morphet suggested the borough lobby U.S. senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan for federal funds to replace the federally owned bridge built on a federally owned road.

“This seems kind of silly that the Haines Borough is trying to rebuild a federal bridge,” Morphet said.

Ryan said the borough’s current strategy is to use the forest service’s community driven Lynn Canal-Icy Strait resource advisory committee to apply for funding and raise awareness about the project and that they’d reach out to the borough’s lobbyist as well.

In a written statement, Tongass National Forest supervisor Earl Stewart said the Forest Service has design plans and a developed contract with specifications to replace the bridge.

“Infrastructure is a priority for our forest, but the Excursion Inlet bridge is one of many projects on the 17 million acres of public land we manage that we are seeking to fund and complete,” Stewart wrote. “We remain open to sharing designs and contract specifications with the borough or any other community partners willing to help the project move forward.”