Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge

Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge

Senator Sid Buckwold (Idylwyld) Bridge
Coordinates 52°07′17″N 106°40′08″W / 52.12139°N 106.66889°W / 52.12139; -106.66889Coordinates: 52°07′17″N 106°40′08″W / 52.12139°N 106.66889°W / 52.12139; -106.66889
Carries 6 lanes of Idylwyld Drive/Expressway (Hwy 11/Hwy 16)
Crosses South Saskatchewan River
Locale Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Official name Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge
Maintained by City of Saskatoon
Characteristics
Material Reinforced concrete
Number of spans 3
Piers in water 2
History
Construction begin February 5, 1965
Construction end 1966
Opened October 28, 1966

The Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge is a bridge that spans the South Saskatchewan River between west and east shore in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was built in 1966, on the same site as the original Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan (later CN Rail) bridge.[1] The bridge is part of the Idylwyld Freeway, for which the former CNR Bridge was torn down. The act of dynamiting the original piers of the CNR Bridge became something of a spectacle as demolition experts were unable to completely destroy them. At the time, the new bridge cost $1.5 million to build.[2]

The QLLS Bridge, the first bridge on the site

Construction of the bridge was one of several simultaneous, interconnected major projects that occurred in Saskatoon during the mid-to-late 1960s. Related projects included: the construction of the Midtown Plaza shopping centre and CN Towers office block which followed the demolition of the former CNR Station and the removal of the attending railyard and CNR Bridge; construction of the Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium (now called TCU Place) also on former railway land; and construction of the Idylwyld Freeway itself from 20th Street southwards to just south of Ruth Street where it joined with another late-1960s freeway project, the south east leg of Circle Drive.

Also known by its former name, the Idylwyld Bridge and, by locals, as the Freeway Bridge, the structure was renamed in honor of former mayor and senator Sidney Buckwold in 2001, following Buckwold's death.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jeff, O'Brien (2005). "Saskatoon Chronology: 1882–2005" (PDF). City of Saskatoon – Archives. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  2. ↑ Kolojay, Trelle (2014-10-05). "Historic anniversary of last train crossing main Saskatoon bridge". 980 CJME. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
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