Access Roads
Due to the propensity of spring freshets on the Saint John River, a large part of the river floodplain is preserved as open space free from development on both sides of the bridge; part of this open space on both sides of the river is taken up by bridge collector roadways - the south side of the easterly-flowing river hosts Pointe-Sainte-Anne Boulevard (occasionally called Riverfront Drive), whereas the north side hosts Devonshire Drive. Incidentally, Pointe-Sainte-Anne was the historic Acadian name for Fredericton as this "point" in the river was the location of a former village opposite Fort Nashwaak, hence the French name for the street passing over this territory.
These roadways opened at the same time as the Westmorland Street Bridge and are accessed via modified cloverleaf interchanges. The final element of the Westmorland Street Bridge was completed on 5 September 2008 when the northeast exit ramp from the bridge for eastbound traffic on Devonshire Drive was opened. This ramp was part of the original design for the bridge but was not built in the 1970s as a result of budget cuts. The missing ramp was periodically resurrected by municipal politicians over a period of 25 years until construction finally began in 2007. Prior to the opening of the northeast ramp, a temporary connection was built to the eastbound lanes of Union Street (which parallels Devonshire Drive).
Read more about this topic: Westmorland Street Bridge
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