Historic Chaudière Bridge stands as symbol of decaying Canadian infrastructure

At a time when people across the country were worrying about electoral politics and national unity, the folks in Ottawa got a reminder of unity in another context and another era when the government closed a bridge.

Korky Koroluk

At a time when people across the country were worrying about electoral politics and national unity, the folks in Ottawa got a reminder of unity in another context and another era when the government closed a bridge.

It wasn’t just any bridge, mind you. It was the 180-year-old Chaudière Bridge, known originally as the Union Bridge. It was the first fixed link between Upper and Lower Canada, built as a symbol of the union between the two provinces and a means of promoting commerce between them.

That’s what the history books will tell you. What they may not tell you is that the commerce was simply the movement of men and materials between what now are the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

In 1826 Wright’s Town (later to become Hull, then Gatineau), was a bustling town of 800 souls, with mills, smithies, stores and workers’ housing. But it lay across the river from Bytown (later Ottawa), then not much more than a crude camp, but the place where the Rideau Canal was to begin its southward trek. Rafting workers and supplies across the river seemed time-consuming. A bridge seemed the perfect answer.

The idea of a bridge over the Ottawa River had first been mentioned in 1824, but lay dormant until Sept. 26, 1826, the day the governor of Lower Canada came to Bytown to turn the first sod for the Rideau Canal. When that formality had been completed, the subject of a bridge was raised, and the governor approved the project on the spot: Work was to begin two days later, on Sept. 28.

The actual bridge construction could be called a comedy of errors, but the loss of several lives made it a decidedly bitter comedy.

The bridge was to be a series of seven short spans, hopping between islands and rocky outcrops that dot the river just below the Chaudière Falls. The first was to be a stone arch from the north shore to the first island.

The stonework was built around a wooden frame arch in just three weeks, but when the frame was removed, the stonework didn’t settle firmly into place as planned. Instead, it tumbled into the river below.

The span was rebuilt during the following winter, and it stayed where the stonemasons put it.

The other spans were built without incident, except for the final one reaching 212 feet across the Big Kettle, a treacherous stretch just below the falls.

During that construction, three men fell to their deaths when a chain anchoring the footbridge from which they were working, snapped, hurling them into the water below. A few weeks later, another anchor chain snapped, then another. And the half-finished structure collapsed into the river.

Heavier chain was obtained, and, a few weeks later, in October, 1828, the bridge, capable of carrying loads of up to six tons, was completed.

But it wasn’t long before deterioration in that main span was noticed, and, in 1834, more supporting cables were added. The bridge had to be closed just two years later though, because of further deterioration. A good thing, too, because just 13 days later, the whole span twisted and tumbled into the river.

It was replaced by a suspension bridge, which, in turn, was replaced in the 1920s by a steel truss span. Since then, nothing has fallen into the river. But about three weeks ago, inspection detected deterioration in two of the masonry arches. One is a short arch just at the north end of the truss span. The other is that first arch, extending from the river’s north shore.

So the bridge was closed until engineers determine that it’s safe. It was still closed as this was written.

Traffic has been chaotic as a result. The city has only five bridges crossing the Ottawa, and the Chaudière is one of only two that can handle the heavy trucks that traverse the region every day.

And nothing is crossing the bridge that was touted as a symbol of unity and co-operation. Now, perhaps, the bridge could also be a symbolic of Canadian infrastructure generally—a symbol that needs a lot of work.

Korky Koroluk is an Ottawa-based freelance writer. Send comments to editor@dailycommercialnews.com.