Low Level Bridge

Completed in 1900, the Low Level Bridge was the first bridge across the North Saskatchewan River. It was designed to carry a railway, and a railway track was added in 1902 to accommodate the Edmonton, Yukon and Pacific Railway (amalgamated with the Canadian Northern Railway in 1905).Lane, Dennis. "First train into Edmonton". Provincial Archives of Alberta. [https://hermis.alberta.ca/paa/PhotoGalleryDetails.aspx?CollectionID=2&DeptID=1&ObjectID=A15485 A15485]. It was originally known simply as the Edmonton Bridge or the Inter-Urban Bridge (connecting the towns of Strathcona and Edmonton) until it became known as the Low Level Bridge some time after the completion of the High Level Bridge.

The bridge was in danger of overturn during the North Saskatchewan River flood of 1915. The floodwater peaked just below the level of the bridge deck itself, with flood-carried debris piling along its length. A train was parked on the bridge to help hold it in place. The peak level was estimated to be about {{convert|42|ft|order=flip}} above low water level.Edmonton Bulletin, June 30, 1915

Streetcars used the bridge (on a gauntlet track) from 1908 to 1939.{{cite book|last1=Hatcher|first1=Colin K.|last2=Schwarzkopf|first2=Tom|title=Edmonton's Electric Transit: The Story of Edmonton's Streetcars and Trolley Buses|date=1983|publisher=Railfare Enterprises Ltd.|location=Toronto|isbn=0-919130-33-X}}{{rp|17,116}} Trolley buses of the Edmonton trolley bus system used the bridge from the removal of the streetcar track in 1939 until 1965.{{rp|151,169}}

In 1948 a twin span of the same design was added upstream of the original span. The new span was originally used for vehicle traffic in both directions, with the original span being reserved for railway use. When the railway track was removed from the original span in 1954, that bridge was widened and then used for two lanes of west-bound traffic. The 1948 bridge has carried all east-bound traffic since the widening of the original span.{{cite book|last1=Vanterpool| first1=Alan| title=Rivers and Rails: Central Alberta's Transcontinental Railways|date=2014| publisher=Edmonton and District Historical Society}}

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• List of crossings of the North Saskatchewan River
• List of bridges in Canada

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• {{Structurae|id=20011714|title=Low Level Bridge}}

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Category:Bridges in Edmonton

Category:Road bridges in Alberta

Category:Bridges completed in 1900

Category:Bridges completed in 1948

Category:Tourist attractions in Edmonton

Category:Railway bridges in Alberta

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