Region of Waterloo, Entuitive, and Moses Structural Engineers

2026 Governors Awards

The Region of Waterloo, Entuitive, and Moses Structural Engineers have been awarded a National Trust Governors’ Award for the restoration of the West Montrose Covered Bridge.  

The West Montrose Covered Bridge is the only remaining covered bridge in Ontario and the second oldest surviving bridge in the Region of Waterloo, located in the Township of Woolwich. 

The bridge was built in 1881 and has been owned by the region since 1998, undergoing several improvement projects over its lifetime. This restoration project maintained the bridge’s exterior look and heritage character as part of a $12 million infrastructure project addressing key structural issues. The project also addressed growing environmental risks to the bridge, including measures to protect against heavy flooding and ice flows.   

Engineers worked closely with the Region and heritage specialists to remove the bridge’s steel Bailey trusses and strengthen the existing wood trusses in place. This allowed the original timber structure to once again act as the primary load-carrying system, something it had not done since the mid-1960s. For residents of West Montrose and especially its Mennonite communities, the bridge is both vital infrastructure and a symbol of identity and continuity.  

The National Trust Board of Governors chose to highlight this project as a powerful example of a respectful and collaborative approach to the conservation of operational historic infrastructure.