The University Bridge spans the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The river begins at the confluence of the Bow River, Bow and Oldman Rivers in southern Alberta and ends at the Saskatchewan River Forks in ce ...

between Clarence Avenue and College Drive on the east shore with 25th Street on the west in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, 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 Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The bridge is also known as the 25th Street Bridge and is a major commuter route between the two halves of Saskatoon. Between its opening in 1916 and the opening of the Circle Drive Bridge in 1983, it was the northernmost vehicular river crossing in the city. It is named for the fact that it provides access to the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

. The University Bridge was originally planned to be of steel truss construction, much like 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 Oc ...

. Instead, a new design was used and Saskatoon saw the start of its first reinforced concrete arch bridge in 1913. Unfortunately the original contractor, R.J. Lecky, badly underbid on the tender, had problems with its concrete, and faced conflict of interest charges. One pier of the bridge had to be rebuilt and, due to the impact of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

on the global economy, the company went bankrupt and the provincial government had to finish building the bridge itself. When completed in 1916 it was the longest bridge of its kind in Canada. A number of urban legends have surrounded the bridge since its construction. One of the stories was that the original contractor mixed straw in with the concrete to save money. Another rumour said that a worker fell to his death into one of the forms when the bridge piers were being poured, and his remains lie entombed to the present day. While sensational, none of these stories are supported by actual evidence. In February 1969, the City of Saskatoon included a replacement of University Bridge (a task estimated to cost $7 million) within a 15-year capital plan. These plans did not come to fruition and the original University Bridge has undergone rehabilitation and repair work in 1972, 1985, 1998 and 2015. With the closure and demolition of the original Traffic Bridge in 2016, the University Bridge became Saskatoon's oldest surviving vehicular bridge.

References

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = University Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Broadway Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = CPR Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges completed in 1916 Bridges in Saskatoon Road bridges in Saskatchewan

See also

References