CPR Bridge (Saskatoon)

{{Short description|Bridge in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada}}

{{Infobox Bridge

|bridge_name = CPR Bridge

|image = CPR_Bridge.jpg

|caption = CPR Bridge over the South Saskatchewan River

|official_name = CPR Bridge

|carries = Canadian Pacific Railway tracks

|crosses = South Saskatchewan River

|locale = Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

|maint = City of Saskatoon

|preceded = University Bridge

|followed = Circle Drive Bridge

|id =

|designer =

|design = Truss bridge

|material = Steel, wood, concrete

|spans =

|pierswater = 7

|mainspan =

|length = {{convert|341|m|ft}}

|width =

|height = {{convert|19.5|m|ft}}

|load =

|clearance =

|below =

|traffic =

|begin =

|complete = 1908

|open = June 15, 1908

|closed =

|toll =

|map_cue =

|map_image =

|map_text =

|map_width =

|coordinates = {{coord|52|08|34|N|106|38|28|W|region:CA|display=inline,title}}

|lat =

|long =

}}

The CPR Bridge is a Canadian railway bridge that spans the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

File:2024 08 27 IMG 8178.JPG

The bridge was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1908 and is referred to by locals as the CPR Bridge or CP Railway Bridge, or simply the Train Bridge or Railway Bridge. The city's second rail bridge, to avoid confusion, is generally known as the Grand Trunk Bridge or CN Railway Bridge; that second bridge opened several months before the CPR Bridge. With the demolition of the city's original Traffic Bridge in 2016 (it was subsequently replaced by a new structure), the CPR Bridge became the second-oldest surviving bridge in the city.

The CPR Bridge is part of the CP rail line to its Sutherland rail yards. It is unusual for a rail bridge in that it includes a pedestrian walkway, which was added in 1909. It allows users to cross between the west side of the bridge, adjacent to the Meewasin Valley trails, and the east side, near Innovation Place Research Park. The bridge stands {{convert|19.5|m|ft}} above the river.{{cite news |url=https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/work-on-saskatoons-new-northeast-bridge-continues-on-schedule |title=Saskatoon's newest bridge rises in remote spot |last=Tank |first=Phil |work=The StarPhoenix |date=2016-11-24 |accessdate=2016-11-24}}

Originally, the City of Saskatoon asked that the bridge be designed so that a single lane of vehicular traffic could be added later. However, this plan was abandoned and the University Bridge was instead built upstream.{{cite web

| url = https://www.saskatoon.ca/moving-around/bridges/history-our-bridges

| title = The History of our Bridges

| publisher = City of Saskatoon

| format = PDF

| accessdate = 2016-10-28}}

The bridge is referred to on page 1 of Farley Mowat's 1961 novella, Owls in the Family; Mowat refers to the bridge by a variation of its nickname, The Railroad Bridge.