Sea to Sea in Canada: A Stroll Across the Bridge

The first weekend in Fredericton was sunny and warm. We went to walk the famous Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge. It was an old rail bridge which spans 1905 feet across the mighty Saint John River and now part of the Fredericton Trail system. We went from the north to the south side and wandered the downtown core.

It was a glorious day and lots of people were out using the Fredericton Trail system. People were walking or biking across the bridge that connects north and south Fredericton.

The bridge was very busy with people enjoying the day.

A nice view across the bridge

Announcing the river that the bridge spans. The water was very calm
that day but I can image that the waters were very different during
the spring when flooding occurred for several weeks. The banks of
the river overflowed to the point that nearby car bridges could not be
used for the duration of the flooding. I guess we will experience the
spring flooding next year. Don't worry, we are located up the hill and
will not be affected by the waters.

You can still see trees along the river that were affected by the flooding.

The University of New Brunswick in the distance.

Midway across the bridge.

What? A huge planter in the middle of the river!
Actually, this is a left over pillar from the days when a train swing bridge
was added to allow larger boats to pass by the bridge. See one of the
pictures below to see the swing bridge in action.

In 2008 the bridge's name was changed to the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge. He was an advocate of a trail system in the city and the province. He inspired others with his dedication and thus his name was attached to one of his favourite causes.