The Design and Construction of Burton Bridge
Burton Bridge spans the Saint John River about 14 miles (~22 km) downstream from the city of Fredericton, New Brunswick, replacing a ferry service between Maugerville on the Trans-Canada Highway along the north bank of the river, and the township of Burton on the south side of the river. The ferry service, said to have been in use for over two hundred years, met with increasing criticism in recent years and a demand for its replacement by a bridge has resulted in the present structure, completed and opened to traffic in the autumn of 1972. The main span is an arch bridge with a center navigation span of 600 ft (182.9 m), and an overall length of 1026.5 ft (312.9 m), flanked on each side by three 125 ft (38.1 m) approach spans. The total length of bridge between the abutments is 1784.5 ft (543.9 m), and its greatest height above normal river level in summer is 185 ft (56.4 m). Access to the bridge from the existing roads is accomplished by approach roads on new embankments, the one on the south side being relatively short, while those on the north bank form a complex of roads providing east and west access to the Trans-Canada Highway, over which a pre-stressed concrete overpass bridge has been built for one of the routes.