The Morrissy Bridge is a steel truss bridge crossing the Miramichi River

Miramichi River

The Miramichi River is a Canadian river located in the east-central part of New Brunswick. The river drains into Miramichi Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence...

 at Miramichi

Miramichi, New Brunswick

Miramichi is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay...

, New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

, 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...

.

Although construction of the bridge began in 1913, the bridge was completed and opened in November 1914. Named after Hon. John Morrissy

John Morrissy

John Veraker Morrissy was a merchant and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Northumberland County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1888 to 1890 and from 1903 to 1916 and Northumberland in the Canadian House of Commons from 1921 to 1924 as a Liberal member.He...

, the Minister of Public Works, it was hailed as "one of the greatest structures in the province", and provided the first fixed road link between the former town of Newcastle

Newcastle, New Brunswick

Newcastle is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, it was an incorporated town and the shire town of Northumberland County....

 and communities on the south side of the river. The bridge created a new obstacle for navigation, but a swing span in the bridge, allowed large vessels to pass.

The Morrissy Bridge was badly damaged on November 5, 1971 when the Panamanian registered Liberty Ship

Liberty ship

Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...

 Grand Valor struck the second pier of the bridge while departing the Newcastle Wharf with a load of pulpwood. Several heavy trusses were knocked out and the swing span was moved off its bearing pad. Repairs took 3 weeks and the vessel was arrested and later released.

The swing span is no longer used, and the narrow deck of the bridge is now viewed as substandard. The new Miramichi Bridge

Miramichi Bridge

The Miramichi Bridge is a bridge crossing the Miramichi River at Newcastle, New Brunswick, Canada.It opened to traffic in 1995 as part of the Route 117 Chatham bypass project...

completed in 1995 provides a wider, safer crossing only 1 km upstream. It has created a newer, permanent obstacle to upstream navigation.

In 2008 the New Brunswick Department of Transportation carried out a detailed structural analysis and concluded that the bridge's steel deck supports had corroded to the point where the bridge was no longer safe for use. The Morrissy Bridge was closed permanently because of safety concerns Friday, September 12, 2008. The bridge will be dismantled, and not be replaced.