Priceville Footbridge
Encyclopedia
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...
. It spans the Southwest Miramichi River
Southwest Miramichi River
The Southwest Miramichi River is a Canadian river in New Brunswick.The river has its origin in Carleton County, at Miramichi Lake in the Miramichi Highlands . Its two branches join near the village of Juniper, NB...
at McNamee, approximately 12 km west of Doaktown, New Brunswick
Doaktown, New Brunswick
Doaktown is a Canadian village in Northumberland County, New Brunswick.-History:It is situated on the Southwest Miramichi River and was first settled in 1807 for use as a base for the growing lumber industry in central New Brunswick...
.
The footbridge, constructed in 1938, had a single span, but was destroyed during the spring freshet of 1939, with three lives lost. A second bridge was built in 1939. This bridge was replaced by a third footbridge in 1988. The two latter bridges, unlike the original, used two spans to cross the river. The bridge is shared by both Priceville and Mcnamee, and therefore known as the Priceville footbridge to residents of Priceville, and McNamee footbridge to residents of McNamee. Although both communities use it, it is officially known as the McNamee Footbridge, although the signs posted on the bridge display "Priceville",there is still much confusion among many of the residents of the community(more particularly Priceville) as to what the original name was. In a poll conducted in 1999, 93% of the community polled (Boiestown and Doaktown) reported that the bridges' signs should be replaced with signs displaying the real name of the bridge,The McNamee Footbridge. Regardless of name, it is a very important piece of history in the community.
The bridge is provincially owned, and maintained by the 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...
Department of Transportation.
The footbridge is an important part of both communities' heritage.