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Five unique urban bridges in Canadian cities

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Corktown Footbridge, Ottawa

This footbridge over the Rideau Canal — first proposed in 1984 but only opened in 2006 —  was previously only crossable during winter months when the canal froze.

bridge-toronto

Old Mill / Humber River, Toronto

The Old Mill bridge, built in 1916 and supposedly haunted, crosses the Humber River near the decommissioned mill that shares its name. An anonymous artist painted the high water mark of 1954’s Hurricane Hazel on a support column of the twin subway bridge.

bridge-capilano vancouver

Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver

Originally built in 1889, this suspension bridge has undergone many transformations over the years. Now made of wire cable, it spans the Capilano River with a length of 136 metres and rises 70 metres above ground. It attracts over 800,000 visitors a year.

bridge-Fort Edmonton Footbridge

Fort Edmonton Footbridge, Edmonton

This footbridge is the city’s only suspension bridge. Connecting the Trans Canada Trail with park land on the west side of the North Saskatchewan River, it was opened in June 2011 to encourage walking and other forms of transportation in the suburbs of the city.

bridge-calgary

Peace Bridge, Calgary

This tubular Santiago Calatrava-designed bridge — painted red and white with geometric patterns and a glass roof — opened in March of 2012. It is wide enough (6.3 metres) to accommodate separate pedestrian and bicycle lanes. It was even built to withstand Calgary’s one-in-100 year flood cycle.

Which bridges would you add to this list? Leave us a comment below.

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14 comments

  1. You should definitely add “Swinging Bridge” in Renfrew, Ontario to this list!

  2. There is nothing more beautiful bridge wise in Canada than the Lions Gate

  3. I’m not sure how urban the Capilano Bridge is. Winnipeg’s Esplenade Riel should be included. It has become the post card image of the city.

  4. I think Toronto’s Humber Bay Arch Bridge ought to have been included as well. Its design is spectacular. I would have also included the Lion’s Gate Bridge.

  5. Corktown is a gorgeous bridge. Looking north gives you the classic Ottawa postcard. In a city with monuments to the famous and powerful, it is named for the shanty town near Somerset where the Irish labourers who built the Canal lived.

  6. I nominate Hamilton’s Red Bridge. For details and lovely photographs of this bridge, see:

    http://www.canadianconsultingengineer.com/awards/pdfs/2012/B8_EastHamiltonWaterfrontLinkPedBridge.pdf

    I note that this beautiful bridge, which was completed in 2011 at a cost of $10.2 million, is currently completely useless due to the failure of the City of Hamilton to clear the snow and ice currently obstructing it. The bridge provides a key link to the industrial employment areas of East Hamilton. The City is sending a message loud and clear: “We do not want you to be able to get to work unless you drive a car.”

  7. When my kid saw Toronto’s Humber bay Arch Bridge from the Gardiner he would call out “Trader’s Bridge” !

  8. Laurel landbridge crossing 6th Av into Charleson Park on False Creek Vancouver.
    charleson_aerial.jpg

  9. Corktown is sooo pretty, but I didn’t know it only opened in 2006! I moved to Ottawa in 2007 and I’m definitely glad it’s there, would have been a pain having to cross at Mackenzie King all the time instead.

  12. Since the Lion’s Gate and Humber Bay Bridges are already
    nominated, let me nominate Toronto’s Prince Edward Viaduct. Its
    structural glory is best seen from the bike path that runs under it
    beside the Don River. Check out Michael Ondaatje’s “In the Skin of
    a Lion” for its meaning as an urban icon and for its importance to
    Toronto’s city building and its nascent urbanism.

  14. We need an updated list. Canadians rarely celebrate stuff like this, even though we’re quite capable and accomplished in terms of building the best.