CPR Bridge (Saskatoon)

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

CPR Bridge
CPR Bridge over the South Saskatchewan River
Coordinates	52°08′34″N 106°38′28″W
Carries	Canadian Pacific Railway tracks
Crosses	South Saskatchewan River
Locale	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Official name	CPR Bridge
Maintained by	City of Saskatoon
Preceded by	University Bridge
Followed by	Circle Drive Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Truss bridge
Material	Steel, wood, concrete
Total length	341 metres (1,119 ft)
Height	19.5 metres (64 ft)
Piers in water	7
History
Construction end	1908
Opened	June 15, 1908
Location

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 19.5 metres (64 ft) above the river.[1]

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.[2]

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.