Hartland Bridge, Covered wooden bridge in Hartland, Canada
Hartland Bridge is a covered wooden bridge spanning the Saint John River in New Brunswick, connecting the towns of Hartland and Somerville. The structure measures roughly 391 meters and features seven truss segments resting on six concrete piers, built with Douglas fir timber from British Columbia.
The bridge opened on 14 May 1901 as an uncovered toll crossing, built by the Hartland Bridge Company. Damaged by weather and an ice jam in early 1920, it was rebuilt and covered, reopening in 1922. The provincial government bought it in 1902 and removed tolls on 1 May 1906. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1977.
The bridge's name comes from Hartland, the town on its east bank. Since the Hugh John Flemming Bridge opened on Route 130 about a kilometre north in 1960, this crossing has carried mainly local and tourist traffic. A covered walkway with a shed roof runs along the downstream, south side for pedestrians.
The bridge carries a single lane with a 10-tonne vehicle weight limit and a 4.2-metre height limit. A covered walkway for pedestrians runs along the downstream (south) side. The bridge is reached via Hartland Bridge Hill Road, linking Route 105 on the Hartland side to Route 103 on the Somerville side.
The bridge's Howe truss was the first to combine wood and metal, with steel tension rods replacing wooden posts and fitted with turnbuckles for periodic adjustment. Douglas fir was imported from British Columbia because local lumber was scarce and this wood resisted rot better.
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