Brawny Crossing
by Carol Randall
Title
Brawny Crossing
Artist
Carol Randall
Medium
Photograph - Photography Converted To Painting
Description
The Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge may be the longest pedestrian bridge in the world converted from a railway bridge, and is also the most popular ‘people place’ in Fredericton, rivaled only by Boyce Market. This 581m (1905 ft) walking/pedestrian bridge connects the northside and southside trails of Fredericton. The original bridge was constructed by the Fredericton and St. Mary’s Railway Bridge Company in 1888 to accommodate the expanding railway network which twenty years earlier had reached Fredericton. By 1924 it had become part of the Canadian National system and was used by the Canadian Pacific Railway as well. The first bridge was carried away by the spring freshet and ice jam of 1936, but the second and existing one was in operation again at a higher elevation by 1938. The single pier upriver was placed here in conjunction with the swing span that enabled the passage of riverboats. The swing span last operated in the early 1980s to allow the passage of a dredge, assisting in the building of the Westmorland Street Bridge. In April 1995 the last train crossed the bridge and by 1997 it was planked by Sentier NB Trail Council with the assistance of the City of Fredericton. This Bridge offers panoramic views of the St. John River and the Fredericton skyline from its three viewing platforms, one of which was funded by the Y’s Men Associations. In 2008 it was named the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge in recognition of the dedication by Bill Thorpe to the Fredericton’s Trail system.
Original photograph of this Bridge was taken near sunset along the South Riverfront Trail, opposite Waterloo Row in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Uploaded
January 29th, 2018
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Viewed 453 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/25/2024 at 7:21 PM
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