Westmorland Street Bridge - History

History

Considerable public debate preceded construction of the Westmorland Street Bridge in both municipal and provincial politics.

Prior to late 1950s, Fredericton had a single bridge crossing the Saint John River. The Carleton Street Bridge was constructed at the turn of the 20th century as an extension of Carleton Street on the south side to Bridge Street (now Cliffe Street) on the east bank (or north side). In 1959 the Princess Margaret Bridge was opened as part of the construction of the Route 2 (the Trans-Canada Highway) bypass project around the city.

In 1968, construction of the Mactaquac Dam 15 kilometres upriver from Fredericton closed the river to navigable traffic above the city. That same year saw residents and government officials begin to discuss a replacement for the Carleton Street Bridge, now that the costly navigation requirement was eliminated. By the early 1970s, the provincial government (the project's primary proponent) had settled on an ambitious traffic planning scheme which would see a single new low profile bridge constructed from the foot of Westmorland Street with appropriate collector roads along the waterfront floodplain.

This plan elicited various protests by residents and the Citizens' Bridge Committee was founded in May 1974 to urge the provincial government to find an alternative to the site of the proposed Westmorland Street Bridge; issues cited included the location, size and cost of the crossing. The Westmorland Street location was considered controversial as it, and the collector roads required, would have a major impact on the city's historic riverfront. The Fredericton chapter of the New Brunswick Conservation Council and the Fredericton Heritage Trust were among several other organizations which sought changes to the proposed bridge location and design.

The objectives of the Citizens' Bridge Committee included the following: to acquire citizen participation in the decisions relating to bridge and highway construction in the city of Fredericton, to develop public awareness of the problem, to coordinate public input, and to articulate community concerns. The committee sought expert opinions on bridge and highway matters, released news items, provided speakers to groups and information to the general public, and represented public concerns before governments and government agencies.

The committee dissolved in September 1975, having decided its members had presented their views to the public; the Westmorland Bridge project had been given a lower priority by the government of Richard Hatfield at this point as a result of the opposition in segments of the community. In January 1977 a new committee was formed and was called Save Our City in response to renewed efforts by the provincial government to proceed with a replacement for the Carleton Bridge. This committee included representatives from the York-Sunbury Historical Society, the New Brunswick Conservation Council, the University Women's Club, Fredericton Heritage Trust, Community Planning Association of Canada, various neighbourhood associations, and some members from the Citizen's Bridge Committee. The aim of this new committee was to "open the eyes and ears of civil servants and politicians who have persisted in ignoring the substantial opposition to the Westmorland Street bridge proposal."

Construction of the Westmorland Street Bridge began in the late 1970s and required both swing spans on the Fredericton Railway Bridge and the Carleton Street Bridge be opened for tugboats and barges needed during the project. This would be the last time the railway bridge swing span was ever opened.

Following the completion of construction for the Westmorland Street Bridge in 1982, the steel truss spans of the Carleton Bridge were dismantled; the bridge's piers remain in place across the river with 2 shore-bound piers on the south side being used to carry a short pedestrian bridge across Pointe-Sainte-Anne Boulevard. Another pier (second from the south side shore) was the location of a fountain - the Silver Spire of Inspiration - constructed in 2001 to honour New Brunswick athletes who participated in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, including Fredericton swimmer Marianne Limpert. (Other than the summer of 2003, the fountain has only worked sporadically, but elements of it may find a new home at the Grant-Harvey Arena complex, scheduled to open in 2011.)

Coordinates: 45°58′07″N 66°38′33″W / 45.968692°N 66.642637°W / 45.968692; -66.642637