‘We can't survive’: Slowed CBS bridge replacement has Seal Cove business feeling the pinch

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeAtlantic CanadaBusinessLocal BusinessNewfoundland & LabradorNewfoundland And Labrador Business ‘We can't survive’: Slowed CBS bridge replacement has Seal Cove business feeling the pinch The work on Seal Cove bridge isn't expected to wrap up until December Author of the article: By Nicholas Mercer Published Sep 09, 2026 4 minute read The group at Seal Cove Grocery & Liquor Express are in the fight of their lives as the business has been hit hard by the long replacement of the Seal Cove Bridge. Shown here are owners Thomas Dwyer (left), Kristen Dwyer (second from left) with son Brody Dwyer (front), Jamie Murphy, Julia Crawley and Wes Crawley (right). PHOTO BY KEITH GOSSE/THE TELEGRAM Article content When Kristen Dwyer looks around Seal Cove Grocery & Liquor Express, she sees the fruits of the work she and her husband have put in over the last five years. Article content There are the cans of Pepsi, the boxes of chocolate bars, the bags of sugar that Dwyer picks up herself every week, a process designed to keep prices down. Article content Article content She sees the sandwich station, the customer counter, and the rest of the work that’s done by her husband and their employees. Article content Article content Since Dwyer and her husband took over the 56-year-old business five years ago, the store has become another member of the family. Article content “It’s backbreaking, but I can’t imagine doing anything else now,” said Dwyer. “We’ve put our all into it.” Article content Now, all that work is being threatened by the prolonged replacement of the Seal Cove Bridge, which connects one part of the CBS suburb to the other. Article content It’s cut deeply into Dwyer’s business and threatens to shut them down if something doesn’t change. Article content “It’s just right now, we need help, and we need some advice,” she said. Article content Wes Crawly works the counter at the Seal Cove Grocery & Liquor Express recently. PHOTO BY KEITH GOSSE/THE TELEGRAM Article content Work delayed Article content The Seal Cove Bridge has been an important connection point between the two parts of the town for as long as anyone can remember. Article content In the 1990s, the bridge was washed away, and a temporary structure was put in place until a permanent replacement could be built. Article content That temporary structure lasted for 30…