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Albert Memorial Bridge (Regina)
Encyclopedia
The Albert Memorial Bridge is a beam bridge
that spans across the north and south banks of Wascana Creek
Regina, Saskatchewan
, Canada
. It is 256 metres (840 feet) long and 22 metres (72 feet) wide.
, which also included draining and dredging the adjacent Wascana Lake, and building two islands in the lake. The bridge was designed by the architectural firm of Puntin, O’Leary and Coxall, as well as noted consulting engineer Claude A.P. Turner. The bridge is highly ornamented with Egyptian motifs, lamp standards, multiple flag-staffs, glazed terra-cotta
balusters and buffalo heads.
The bridge cost $250,000, more than two and a half times its original estimate. It was ridiculed by the locals because of its cost and became known as "Bryant's Folly", after then-public works minister James Bryant. It was opened on November 10, 1930 by Premier J. T. M. Anderson
and dedicated as a memorial to the Saskatchewan soldiers who died in World War I
. Although spaces were provided for the installation of plaques with the names of province's war dead, they were never utilized. Sixty-five years later, a separate World War I
memorial on the grounds of the legislative building was constructed.
The bridge was re-dedicated on October 2, 1988, after a $1.4 million restoration project. In June 2009, another major refurbishment project was begun on the bridge. The deck was resurfaced, and decorative elements like the terra-cotta balustrades were restored. The cost of the work was estimated at $5 million. By late October, most of the work (except the top layer of asphalt) had been completed.
Beam bridge
Beam bridges are the most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the deck. No moments are transferred through the support hence their structural type is known as simply supported....
that spans across the north and south banks of Wascana Creek
Wascana Creek
Wascana Creek originates in the fields east of Regina, Saskatchewan near Vibank, Saskatchewan and travels southeast for approximately 45 kilometers before turning back west at Tyvan, Saskatchewan. The creek then travels in a northwestwardly direction through Regina...
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is 256 metres (840 feet) long and 22 metres (72 feet) wide.
History
The Albert Memorial Bridge's construction was part of a larger relief project during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, which also included draining and dredging the adjacent Wascana Lake, and building two islands in the lake. The bridge was designed by the architectural firm of Puntin, O’Leary and Coxall, as well as noted consulting engineer Claude A.P. Turner. The bridge is highly ornamented with Egyptian motifs, lamp standards, multiple flag-staffs, glazed terra-cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta is a ceramic masonry building material popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and still one of the most common building materials found in U.S. urban environments...
balusters and buffalo heads.
The bridge cost $250,000, more than two and a half times its original estimate. It was ridiculed by the locals because of its cost and became known as "Bryant's Folly", after then-public works minister James Bryant. It was opened on November 10, 1930 by Premier J. T. M. Anderson
James Thomas Milton Anderson
James Thomas Milton Anderson was Saskatchewan's fifth Premier and the first Conservative to hold the office....
and dedicated as a memorial to the Saskatchewan soldiers who died in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Although spaces were provided for the installation of plaques with the names of province's war dead, they were never utilized. Sixty-five years later, a separate World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
memorial on the grounds of the legislative building was constructed.
The bridge was re-dedicated on October 2, 1988, after a $1.4 million restoration project. In June 2009, another major refurbishment project was begun on the bridge. The deck was resurfaced, and decorative elements like the terra-cotta balustrades were restored. The cost of the work was estimated at $5 million. By late October, most of the work (except the top layer of asphalt) had been completed.