 Covered Bridges Should Be Rebuilt 
It was back on February 25th of this year at around 4 am when the Mundleville Bridge near Rexton met its untimely demise. This was only the latest covered bridge to have been lost in New Brunswick as a result of fire although this one appears to be accidental and not arson related. Looking towards the future things do not look too bright for the remaining 65 authentic bridges. Back in the mid-1950s there was well over 300 covered bridges scattered throughout the whole province. By the mid-1970's that number had dwindled down to 74 with none at all surviving in Restigouche or Gloucester counties. Since 1975 we have lost 9 to a variety of causes; from wind storms to floods to accidents to fire, both accidental and deliberate. If current trends continue by the mid-21st century there will only be a handful of these great old bridges left if they are not actively protected and replaced by replicas when they are lost. Its hard to imagine the province with only a handful of bridges surviving, say the Hartland, Point Wolfe, and a few other ones. But that possible bleak future could very well become a reality.The Mundleville Bridge was officially called the St. Nicholas River #1 bridge, built in 1919, it was the 5th longest in the world at a length of 502 feet. It featured a Burr type truss which is basically a support beam pattern in the "X" shape. Almost all of New Brunswick's bridges have this similar support frame. It was also one of the few to feature lighting inside and even carried power cables along its side which is suspected of causing the destructive fire. To see photos of the remains of the Mundleville Bridge and photos of other New Brunswick bridges visit the New Brunswick Covered Bridge website at www.coveredbridges.f2s.com. In the aftermath of the fire the Lord government, after some pressure from local residents over long detours for work and emergency services, is putting in place a one-lane replacement bridge over the old piers that did survive the fire. Although not a covered bridge this new temporary bridge will serve the needs of the community just as before. The tourism loss has yet to be felt by the community. Itıs hard to say exactly how much impact the loss of the bridge will have on the area as a whole but gas stations, convenience stores, and motels, will surely feel some economic impact when the first bridge-less tourism season starts in a few months. This loss may be softened somewhat by the presence of another covered bridge in the area at nearby Graham Creek, a short drive down the River Road from Mundleville. It's a picturesque bridge in its own right but it is not as famous or as big as the St. Nicholas River #1 was. Many people in the community have all but given up hope on ever having a covered bridge in their community again due to the high cost of rebuilding and lack of will on the part of the government to support such projects, but it does not have to be this way. 
There are several excellent examples or precedents of covered bridges being rebuilt after having been destroyed right here in New Brunswick. Perhaps the best known example of a covered bridge being rebuilt is the Point Wolfe River Bridge in Fundy National Park. This 82-foot bridge was originally built in 1908 but met an untimely demise in 1990. That year some workmen were removing an unsafe rocky ledge near the bridge but accidentally took out or "de-constructed" the covered bridge as well. Needless to say a bridge had to be put back in place here for access to a campground and trails on the other side of the river. Thankfully Parks Canada built a near-perfect replica here in 1992. Point Wolfe is famous for being the only painted bridge in the province featuring a bright red colour. All other bridges are left unpainted with a few exceptions like the Monquart River Bridge #3 or Keenan Bridge near Johnville in Carleton county which has its front painted white.
Another bridge that was completely rebuilt around 1997 was the Thomalsin Mills or Odellach River #2 bridge near Arthurette in the Tobique River Valley. It was first built in 1918 and is only 63 feet long. In its reconstruction all new wood was used and even today it looks very much like what a new covered bridge would have looked like back at the turn of the 20th century. It will take a few more years for the wood to acquire that grey weathered rustic "look" that is synonymous with the province's bridges. This is the only bridge to have been completely rebuilt by the Department of Transportation recently. Minor repairs continue to be done to all other bridges in the province. In the past these bridges were seen as impractical by the government and were often torn down, or left to fall down, and replaced accordingly. This was considered "progress", out with the old and in with the new modern concrete and steel bridges. Thankfully that policy is no longer in place.A current example of a group of people attempting to rebuild a covered bridge is in the community of Swanzey, near Westport, in New Hampshire. On March 8th,1993 the Slate Bridge, which crosses over the Ashuelot River, was burned by arsonists. The bridge was 142 feet long, built in 1862 at a cost of $1,850.64. After a few years of being bridgeless the town of Swanzey decided they wanted to have a covered bridge back in the community. Instead of raising taxes to build the bridge the town formed the Slate Bridge Committee to raise the 20% of the $1.4 million needed to reconstruct the bridge ($280,000). So far they have managed to raise $152,306. It looks as though they will eventually raise the money to rebuild their bridge. Updates on the fundraising efforts can be seen at their website at http://www.tmclark.com/Bridges/bridges.html. Several other bridges in the United States that were completely rebuilt as a result of destruction from fire or old age include the Paper Mill Bridge in North Bennington, the Mill Bridge and, the Fuller bridge, all in Vermont. Massachusetts rebuilt the Sheffield bridge that burned down in 1994. There are many more examples in the northeastern US regarding rebuilding bridges too numerous to mention here. Covered bridges are rebuilt throughout the world for various reasons. They don't have the historic aspect as the original did but they are often considered such an important part of the identity of the local people that when one is lost the need is felt by most to replace it to regain a sense of identity, community, and history. Take for example the Hartland Bridge. When talking about the town to someone it is often hard not to mention (or think of) the bridge at some point in the conversation. This bridge is what defines them as a community. Take away the bridge and you leave a town without its main sense of identity let alone the economic benefit it brings to the community. It is realistic to think that the bridge in Mundleville could be rebuilt someday. With the bridge gone the community is still trying to cope with the reality of the situation. The loss affects them more than most people would care to admit publicly. All it takes for a rebuilding project to get started is the support of the community, businesses, and a few ambitious people to help get the ball rolling. Hopefully something can get started over the next 10 years or so. Its never too late to start such worthwhile projects. There are plently of great examples of other groups taking on this type of challenge throughout the world, so why not here in New Brunswick?   Copyright© 2001-2006. All Rights Reserved. |
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