Historic Sites of Manitoba: Elm Park Steel Through Truss Bridge (Red River, Winnipeg)

This steel truss bridge over the Red River in Winnipeg was constructed by the Elm Park Bridge Company to facilitiate access to a residential development in the former Elm Park. Supervised by engineer Ernest Edmund Brydone-Jack, concrete piers for the bridge were constructed from late 1912 to early 1913 by the firm of Fowler and Young. The steel trusses were installed in May 1913. Those crossing the bridge were assessed a toll to offset the $100,000 cost of construction. In 1945, the bridge was purchased by the St. Vital municipal government, and its tolls were eliminated, to give local residents easier access to Winnipeg. Used for two-way motor vehicle traffic until 1974, it is now accessible only by pedestrians and cyclists.

Elm Park Steel Through Truss Bridge

Elm Park Steel Through Truss Bridge (March 2017)
Source: Christine Loff

Elm Park Steel Through Truss Bridge

Elm Park Steel Through Truss Bridge (August 2017)
Source: George Penner

Aerial view of Elm Park Steel Through Truss Bridge

Aerial view of Elm Park Steel Through Truss Bridge (October 2024)
Source: George Penner

Site Location (lat/long): N49.85424, W97.14198
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Elm Park (Winnipeg)

Manitoba Business: Fowler & Young

Sources:

“Two direct roads lead to Elm Park,” Manitoba Free Press, 4 May 1912, page 13.

“Elm Park Company will bridge the Red,” Manitoba Free Press, 17 September 1912, page 16.

“Piers of new Elm Park Bridge ready for steel,” Manitoba Free Press, 11 April 1913, page 9.

“Elm Park Bridge closes to traffic Jan. 3; St. Vital awaits govt., city, metro protests,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 December 1965, page 3.

“Bridge wasn’t always an ice-cream stroll,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 July 2010, page 6.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, Christine Loff, and George Penner.

Page revised: 5 December 2024

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