The Athabasca Bridge - Athabasca Archives

"Bridge – Athabasca." B. Preece. 1952. Athabasca Archives, AA10125.

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The contract to replace the 70-year-old Athabasca Bridge was awarded on May 4, 2022 by the Alberta Government's Minister of Transportation, the Hon. Rajan Sawhney. The $70-million project will start the summer of 2022 and be completed by 2025. In a press release, Minister Sawhney stated, “The existing bridge is old, too narrow, and has served its useful life. The new bridge will support economic development, improvements to safety and commuter traffic in and around Athabasca, and provide a connection for area Indigenous communities.” Construction on the new bridge began in in August 2022.

The existing Athabasca Bridge was completed on March 31, 1952 by an Alberta Government crew of 30 or more from the Bridge Branch of the Department of Highways. It replaced the landing ferry that had been in operation since 1906, the winter ice road, and the cable cage that ran across the river between seasons.edit

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The 1952 bridge cost $470,000 and is the through-truss type with two 30.48m steel spans, three 61m spans, and four 2.4m treated lumber approach spans. It's supported by concrete piers and abutments built on solid rock which at the time was 3 – 3.5 meters below the stream bed. The total length is 280.4m and the road width is 7.3m. Bridge decking was made from creosote wood with a strip deck of one-inch asphalt plank.
With completion of the bridge, the Alberta Government of the day envisioned development of the country north of Athabasca. The Hon. Gordon E. Taylor stated at the opening ceremonies “This bridge symbolizes the vast difference between the past and the future . . . . A great change is taking place in the north and the volume of traffic across the new bridge in coming years will increase tremendously.” A delegation from Calling Lake attended the ceremonies and 94-year-old Jean Baptiste Gambler, with the Hon. Taylor, sawed through a log blocking the access, thus opening the new bridge and uniting the north and south, the past and the future.

Athabasca Bridge under construction. Athabasca Archives AA16586.

Delegation from Calling Lake. Athabasca Archives AA00350.

Crowd at the Athabasca Bridge Opening Ceremonies. Colorized by Gunnar Schwede. Athabasca Archives AA03242.

The Town of Athabasca and area celebrated the opening of the new bridge with a colorful parade in downtown Athabasca which then moved north to the new bridge site. Rev. Gordon Hearst, Archdeacon Howlyn Humphreys, and Rev. Father Frederick Galbraith dedicated the bridge. B. W. Bellamy, President of the Athabasca and District Board of Trade was master of ceremonies. Other speakers included Gordon Lee, MLA for Athabasca; R. E. Hall, Mayor of Athabasca; Tony Aloisio, Reeve of the Municipal District of Athabasca; and L. G. Grimble, Chief Bridge Engineer of the Department of Highways.
The new Athabasca Bridge project begins the summer of 2022 and is expected to support more than 400 jobs in the area. It will be raised on the north side of the current bridge and includes two 3.7 metre lanes and an additional 1.8 metres of shoulder space on either side. Also planned is a 2.5 metre sidewalk on the south side of the structure. The existing bridge will remain in place until the project is completed.
In the 70 years since the first Athabasca Bridge was built, technology has changed dramatically, but the intent of uniting our diverse communities, the north and south, and the past and future is still the same. The new bridge-construction project will give the Athabasca area reason to celebrate as we look forward to completion of the bridge in 2025.

References

“Within Our Borders,” June 15, 1952. Alberta Government.
“Town and Country Today, Athabasca Advocate,” May 4, 2022.