Fraser River Walking Bridge

The Fraser River Walking Bridge is a wooden truss bridge built in 1929. The entry points to the bridge are located where Carson Avenue and Front Street intersect in Downtown Quesnel, and on North Fraser Drive in West Quesnel. The historic place is confined to the bridge structure.

The bridge is valued for its social and cultural significance. At its construction in 1929 it was instrumental in the growth of West Quesnel as it linked the community to East Quesnel and led to their eventual amalgamation in 1958.

It also reflects the economic climate that contributed to the social and cultural development of the community as truss bridges are often constructed when economics is an issue. Wooden trusses use local supplies that require less investment even though they are more costly to maintain over time.

It is socially and culturally significant as it illustrates the changes in the day-to-day lives of the community over time. Prior to the completion of the Fraser River Walking Bridge in 1929, travel across the Fraser River was made by cable ferry. Once this first bridge was built it was open to single- lane traffic that included automobiles, semi-tractor trailers, livestock, and pedestrians. It was converted to pedestrian only use in 1971 at the opening of a second bridge.

Scientifically the bridge holds value as an example of a wooden truss bridge with its defining characteristic of a vast number of timbers vertically arranged in a triangular pattern. The vertical beams are placed under tension where they meet to create a force able to hold considerable weight.

The bridge also holds historical value as there are few wooden truss bridges remaining in the province today and it is believed to be the longest wooden Howe Truss Bridge still in use.

The character-defining elements of the Fraser River Walking Bridge include it's:

- prominent location on both sides and across the Fraser River

- two hundred foot wooden span

- vertical timbers under tension forming triangles

- linking of West and North Quesnel

- function as a working pedestrian bridge