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 October 10, 1907, and was the first bridge to carry motor vehicle traffic in Saskatoon, replacing an unreliable ferry service. The promised construction of the bridge was considered a prime factor in the amalgamation of the towns of Saskatoon, Nutana and Riversdale into one city named Saskatoon. The Traffic Bridge was the only road bridge in Saskatoon until 1916, when the University Bridge was completed. In 2010, the bridge was permanently closed due to severe corrosion and was demolished by 2016.
Traffic Bridge | |
|---|---|
Replica Traffic Bridge over the South Saskatchewan River | |
| Coordinates | 52°7′18″N 106°39′48″W |
| Carries | 2 lanes of Victoria Avenue/3rd Avenue South |
| Crosses | South Saskatchewan River |
| Locale | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Official name | Traffic Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Victoria Bridge 19th Street Bridge 3rd Avenue Bridge Iron Bridge Black Bridge Short Hill Bridge |
| Maintained by | City of Saskatoon |
| Preceded by | Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge |
| Followed by | Broadway Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Parker truss bridge |
| Material | Steel, wood, concrete |
| Total length | 289.8 metres (951 ft) |
| Width | 5.95 metres (19.5 ft) |
| No. of spans | (original) 5; (replica) 4 |
| Piers in water | 3 |
| History | |
| Designer | Saskatchewan Department of Public Works |
| Constructed by | (original) John D. Gunn and Sons Ltd.; (replica) Graham Construction & Engineering Inc. |
| Fabrication by | Canadian Bridge Company/McDiarmid Company |
| Construction start | (original) August 1906; (replica) August 2016 |
| Construction end | (original) October 10, 1907; (replica) October 2, 2018 |
| Opened | (original) October 10, 1907; (replica) October 3, 2018 |
| Closed | (original) August 24, 2010 |
| Location | |
A new truss bridge, a near-replica of the original except with fewer steel spans and a wider road bed, was constructed on the same site after the original bridge was closed. It opened on October 3, 2018.