The Sioux Narrows Bridge is a bridge on Highway 71 at Sioux Narrows,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, which spans the Sioux Narrows strait between Regina Bay and Whitefish Bay on Lake of the Woods."Steel design rescues historic Ontario timber bridge"
''

Daily Commercial News ''Daily Cargo News'' (DCN) is a monthly Australian shipping, trade, transport and logistics focused magazine, published by Paragon Media. First published in 1891 as ''Daily Commercial News'', ''Daily Cargo News'' is Australia's longest running na ...

'', June 11, 2009. Built in 1936 as an all-wooden

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

made of Douglas fir timber treated with

creosote Creosote is a category of carbonaceous chemicals formed by the distillation of various tars and pyrolysis of plant-derived material, such as wood or fossil fuel. They are typically used as preservatives or antiseptics. Some creosote types were ...

, it was at the longest single-span wooden bridge in North America. The bridge overlooks the site of an 18th-century battle in which the local

Anishnaabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawatomi, ...

and Cree nations defeated an invading force of Sioux. Due to its unique construction, the bridge was designated a

heritage site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

under the '' Ontario Heritage Act''.Roger A. Dorton and Ranjit S. Reel, "Methods for Increasing Live Load Capacity of Existing Highway Bridges" in ''National Cooperative Highway Research Program: Synthesis of Highway Practice'', Vol. 249 (1997).

Transportation Research Board The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is a division of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, formerly the National Research Council of the United States, which serves as an independent adviser to the President of the Uni ...

, ISSN 0547-5570. p. 34.

Reconstruction

In the early 1980s, study found that the load capacity of the trusses remained adequate, but there was significant overstress on the deck. In 1982, the bridge was reconstructed using a new

prestressing Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially "prestressed" ( compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-tensioned concreted i ...

technique, by which the deck planks were laid on their edges and squeezed together with hydraulic jacks to form a watertight slab, and then supported with steel reinforcing rods. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the deteriorating quality of the structure necessitated load and lane restrictions on the bridge, with heavy trucking vehicles forced to detour via Ontario Highway 502 through

Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

or Ontario Highway 622 through

Atikokan Atikokan (, Ojibwe for ' caribou bones') is a town in the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population was 2,642 as of the 2021 census. The town is one of the main entry points into Quetico Provincial Park and promotes it ...

."Sioux Narrows bridge reopens". '' Sudbury Star'', December 23, 2003. Finally, a temporary bridge was built in 2003, and the wooden bridge was dismantled. The decision was finally made to balance the need for structural improvements and durability with the structure's heritage by building the new bridge out of steel, but cladding the steel trusses in wood to preserve the original bridge's appearance. Construction began on the new bridge in 2006, and the bridge was reopened to traffic in November 2007."Sioux Narrows Bridge Almost Complete"

CKDR-FM CKDR-FM is a radio station in Dryden, Ontario, Canada. The station broadcasts an adult contemporary format at 92.7 FM. CKDR also has rebroadcasters in Ear Falls, Hudson, Ignace, Red Lake and Sioux Lookout. History CKDR was launched in 1963 ...

, November 12, 2007. The bridge was briefly closed on July 1, 2008, in order to stage its official opening ceremony."Sioux Narrows commemorates Canada Day with official bridge opening"
''

Kenora Daily Miner and News The ''Kenora Miner and News'' is a weekly publication based in Kenora, Ontario. The ''Miner and News'' is delivered free throughout the region every Thursday. The ''Miner and News'' is owned by Postmedia. The paper was formerly known as the ''K ...

'', July 2, 2008. Bill Thompson, the mayor of the town at the time of the bridge's reopening, was the grandson of a construction worker who had worked on the original bridge. Some pieces of salvaged timber not used in recladding the new steel trusses were used to create artworks of the bridge for sale as a municipal fundraiser.

References

{{reflist, 2 Road bridges in Ontario Transport in Kenora District Bridges completed in 1936 Bridges completed in 2007 Truss bridges in Canada Bridges on the Trans-Canada Highway Heritage sites in Ontario Wooden bridges in Canada Buildings and structures in Kenora District

Reconstruction

See also

References