Borden Bridge, Abandoned concrete arch footbridge near Borden, Saskatchewan, Canada
Borden Bridge is an abandoned concrete arch bridge over the North Saskatchewan River near Borden, Saskatchewan. It has an open bow-string arch and was built in 1936 by R.J. Arrand Construction Co. to a design by C. J. MacKenzie. It formerly carried Saskatchewan Highway 16 and now serves foot traffic only.
Borden Bridge was built in 1936 by R.J. Arrand Construction Co. as a make-work project during the Great Depression, designed by C. J. MacKenzie, then on leave as Dean of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. Plans from 1929 for a steel segmental truss bridge were dropped in favour of a labour-intensive concrete design that employed local farmers. In 1985 the bridge closed to vehicles after a new dual-span bridge opened just north of it.
The bridge is named after the nearby town of Borden. Since 2007 it has belonged to Orville Middleton, who bought it from the provincial government for $33,000 and proposed turning the deck into an open-air dance hall; the rural municipality never approved the plan, and the Saskatchewan Architectural Heritage Society objected to it. Middleton later offered to donate the bridge and surrounding land to the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
Access is open to pedestrians at any time since vehicle traffic moved to a newer bridge north of here. The former road surface provides a steady walking path with clear views of the river.
In 2007 the provincial government sold the bridge to Orville Middleton for $33,000; he proposed turning it into an open-air dance hall, a plan the rural municipality never approved. He later offered to donate the bridge and surrounding land to the Canadian Wildlife Federation, and in 2015 listed it for $1 million.
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