The SkyTrail Bridge 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 ...

Outlook, Saskatchewan Outlook is a town in west central Saskatchewan, Canada about 80 km south-southwest of Saskatoon. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River downstream from Gardiner Dam and the Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station. History Settlement ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was originally built by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

over the full width of the river's flood channel and has eight spans. It served as a railway bridge from October 23, 1912, until March 16, 1987. In 2003 it was converted to a pedestrian bridge and is now the longest pedestrian bridge in Canada. The bridge is part of the

Trans-Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. The trail extends ...

. Due to structural issues, the bridge has been closed since late 2013. Origins The SkyTrail Bridge dates back as far as 1887, when it officially opened as the

Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge The Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge is a Canadian Pacific railway bridge linking LaSalle to the Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve, just upstream of the Mercier Bridge. It is used by the RTM Candiac commuter train. History of the bridge Two bridges ha ...

in Montreal, Quebec. The bridge was deconstructed in 1911 to make way for a new, double track bridge parallel to the old single track bridge. The sections of the bridge were then transported to Outlook and used in the construction of the new Outlook Railway Bridge, which officially opened on October 23, 1912. Bridge Design The SkyTrail features a fascinating bridge design known as a

Whipple Truss 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 ...

- and the SkyTrail features the longest known Whipple trusses in Canada ''and'' North America. On their own, Whipple trusses are very difficult to find in Canada, but the SkyTrail features a rare Whipple

deck truss 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 ...

instead of the slightly more common Whipple

through truss 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 ...

, giving the bridge even more rarity. File:PanoramaSkytrail.JPG, A panorama view of the Skytrail File:SkytrailBridge.jpg, View from below the bridge File:1885 St Lawrence bridge CPR.jpg, The original bridge in Montreal, circa. 1885

References

External links

Skytrail - Canada's Longest Pedestrian Bridge
{{Crossings navbox , structure =

Crossings Crossings may refer to: * ''Crossings'' (Buffy novel), a 2002 original novel based on the U.S. television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' * Crossings (game), a two-player abstract strategy board game invented by Robert Abbott * ''Crossings'' ...

, place =

, bridge = Skytrail , bridge signs = , upstream = Outlook Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = Grand Trunk Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges completed in 1912 Railway bridges in Saskatchewan Hiking trails in Saskatchewan Trans Canada Trail Bridges over the South Saskatchewan River Pedestrian bridges in Canada Former railway bridges in Canada Rail trail bridges 1912 establishments in Saskatchewan

See also

References

External links