Broadway Bridge is an

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct (a ...

that spans the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ...

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

, Canada.

History

The bridge was constructed as a "make-work" project during the Great Depression. It was built in 1932 by the contractor R.J. Arrand Construction Co. It was designed by Chalmers Jack (C. J.) MacKenzie (on leave from his post as Dean of

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

). For this reason, the bridge was originally called The Dean's Bridge in its early period; it was formally named the Broadway Bridge as it connects Broadway Avenue on the east shore with 19th Street and 4th Avenue in Saskatoon's downtown core. The city once considered changing the name to

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Q ...

Bridge in honour of the King.

Construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...

of the bridge employed 1,593 men, who worked in three shifts around the clock. It is Saskatoon's steepest bridge, with a 4% grade, and the tallest at above the river. The total cost at the time of construction was $850,000 CAD. In 1933, the streetcar lines of the

Saskatoon Municipal Railway Saskatoon Transit (formerly Saskatoon Municipal Railway) is the public transport arm of the City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It operates a fleet of diesel buses. A total of 23 bus routes serve every area of the city, carrying approxim ...

were re-routed from the

Traffic Bridge The Traffic Bridge is the name given to two truss bridges constructed across the South Saskatchewan River, connecting Victoria Avenue to 3rd Avenue South and Spadina Crescent in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The original bridge opened on ...

to the Broadway Bridge. The year-long closure of the nearby

in late 2005 greatly increased the amount of daily traffic crossing the bridge. The bridge was subsequently closed permanently, leaving the Broadway Bridge as a long-term alternate route until the replacement

was opened in 2018.

In popular culture

The Broadway Bridge is mentioned in Joni Mitchell's song "Cherokee Louise" on the album

Night Ride Home ''Night Ride Home'' is the 14th album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1991. It was the last of four albums she recorded for Geffen Records. Songs on the album include "Cherokee Louise" about a childhood friend who suffe ...

. Joni spent part of her childhood and teenage years in Saskatoon. The Bessborough Hotel, iconically associated with the Broadway Bridge, can be seen in a self-portrait by Mitchell on the cover of her

Clouds In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals ma ...

album.

References

External links

* {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Broadway Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream =

, upstream signs = , downstream = University Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges completed in 1932 Bridges in Saskatoon Deck arch bridges Concrete bridges in Canada Road bridges in Saskatchewan

History

In popular culture

See also

References

External links