The Reversing Falls Bridge is a two-lane bridge crossing the Saint John River at Saint John,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...

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 tota ...

. It carries New Brunswick Route 100 (Bridge Road) across the river and there is no toll for its use.

History

The

Reversing Falls The Reversing Falls are a series of rapids on the Saint John River located in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, where the river runs through a narrow gorge before emptying into the Bay of Fundy. The semidiurnal tides of the bay force the flo ...

rapids are a notoriously dangerous stretch of water passing through a gorge which creates a chasm through the middle of the Saint John metropolitan region. Prior to construction of the first bridge in 1853, ferries were used to connect both sides of the river in the city. The first bridge was a suspension bridge, built by Joseph Tomlinson III, measured 190 m in span. Its replacement, the current steel arch structure or Saint John Highway Arch Bridge (designed by

Philip Louis Pratley Philip Louis Pratley (December 4, 1884 – August 1, 1958) was an English-born Canadian bridge designer. He was born in Liverpool and received a BSc and BEng from the University of Liverpool. Pratley then apprenticed with Francis Morton & Co. ...

), was opened to public use alongside the original in 1915. Both structures have shared the site of this crossing with the

Reversing Falls Railway Bridge The Reversing Falls Railway Bridge is the name given to two different steel truss bridges crossing the Saint John River at the same location in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The original bridge was constructed in 1885 immediately upstream ...

since 1885. It is also known as the floating bridge. Until the 1940s, the Reversing Falls Bridge also carried a

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...

line. Until 1968, with the opening of a second bridge in Saint John, the Harbour Bridge, the Reversing Falls Bridge was the only link between the city's East and West sides. Visitors may stop at a public viewing point above the bridge on the west bank of the river, or use a restaurant and gift shop constructed adjacent to its western abutment.

References

Road bridges in New Brunswick Bridges over the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy) Transport in Saint John, New Brunswick Buildings and structures in Saint John, New Brunswick Arch bridges Steel bridges in Canada {{NewBrunswick-bridge-struct-stub

History

See also

References