Canadian Pacific Railroad Bridge
Description of Historic Place
Built in 1908 for rail travel across the Red Deer River, the Canadian Pacific Railroad Bridge today functions as part of the pedestrian network of the Waskasoo Park system within the city of Red Deer. It is a double span steel truss bridge, founded on concrete buttresses with a wooden trestle extension on the south end.
Heritage Value
Historical Value: The historical significance of Canadian Pacific Railroad Bridge lies in its link with the creation of a Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) divisional point at Red Deer in 1907. It replaced a series of earlier bridges that failed to withstand the forces of the Red Deer River. This 1908 structure carried rail traffic continuously until 1990 when the CPR line relocated west of the city. The Canadian Pacific Railroad Bridge is an enduring landmark, which historically has served as an informal pedestrian link between North Red Deer and downtown Red Deer.
Architectural Value
The Canadian Pacific Railroad Bridge is architecturally significant as Red Deer's only example of a riveted steel, engineered truss, railway bridge, common throughout North America. The bridge is unique in its unusual combination of two different types of construction, exemplifying the transition from wooden trestle to steel truss in the early twentieth century. It is this progressive construction that has ensured the bridge's longevity.
Character-Defining Elements
- Form and massing of the bridge
- All extant features including: wooden trestles at the south end; painted, riveted steel truss design; concrete buttresses; old wooden rail bed
- Mixed use of the bridge within the Waskasoo Park system to include pedestrians, cyclists, and inline skaters
From the Alberta Register of Historic Places