The only road link to Manitoulin Island — the world's largest freshwater island, sitting in Lake Huron off Ontario's north shore — is a single-lane bridge that opened in 1913. After 113 years of service, first for trains and later for cars, the Little Current Swing Bridge is on its way out.
Ontario's provincial government has named construction giant EllisDon as construction manager for the replacement project, a step that moves things from planning toward actual shovels in the ground. A start date for construction hasn't been announced yet, but the wheels have been turning for a while: planning began in 2018, a preferred design was chosen in 2021, and a design contract was awarded last autumn.
The chosen option is a new two-lane swing bridge built just west of the current crossing — a meaningful upgrade for anyone who has idled in a queue waiting their turn over the North Channel. The existing span handles roughly 4,500 vehicles a day at the height of summer, when cottagers, campers and ferries-to-be funnel onto the island. Its steel has been deteriorating for years, which is the driving reason behind the replacement.
The old bridge isn't nameless. It was officially dedicated as the Constable Marc Hovingh Minjimennikaade Memorial Bridge in September, honouring the Ontario Provincial Police officer killed in 2020 near Waubaushene — though most locals still just call it the Little Current Swing Bridge.
For the island itself, the stakes go well beyond tourism. The crossing is the island's only year-round road link, and officials stress it's essential for residents getting to jobs, schools and healthcare, as well as for goods moving in and out. Provincial ministers and the local MPP have both framed the project as keeping the corridor reliable for decades while preserving the character of the gateway to Manitoulin.
If you're planning a drive up to Manitoulin — and it's a genuinely lovely road trip through Ontario's north, with stops like Killarney Provincial Park nearby — the practical takeaway is this: the single-lane bridge, and its summer bottlenecks, will be around a little longer. There's no construction timeline yet, so expect the familiar swing bridge experience for at least another season or two. When the new two-lane version arrives, access to the island should get far smoother, which is good news for anyone who has ever timed their arrival around bridge traffic. Until then, the slow crossing over the water at Little Current remains part of the island's charm — a throwback most visitors end up fond of.
