It has stood as a symbol representing New Brunswick over the span of 125 years, holding just as much of a place in the hearts of residents’ past and present. For Shauna Bonterre, the world’s longest covered bridge - linking Hartland and Sommerville across the Saint John River – is emblematic of her how her parents fell in love. “When they were first dating, this is the bridge they would have to cross to see each other,” says Bonterre, now of Owen Sound, Ontario. Bounterre returned to Hartland this long weekend, along with her father, for events marking the bridge’s 125th anniversary. “It’s a little bit emotional to be back here,” says Bonterre, who lost her mother a few years ago. “There’s a lot of nostalgia.” Big Bridge Fest, held each New Brunswick Day long weekend in Hartland, tags itself as an annual homecoming centred around the 371 metre long (1,282 foot) structure. Vehicles are diverted away from the bridge throughout the festival, with dinners and services scheduled inside. On Monday, the Hartland Covered Bridge Marketwill feature local artisans, food vendors, fresh produce, music, dancers, and historical displays. Other events over the long weekend include a town parade, along with a ‘bridge to bridge’ run between the covered bridge and nearby Hugh John Flemming Bridge. This year’s festival also includes the introduction of decorative archways, accompanying a pair of protective steel beams installed earlier this year on each side of the bridge. “When the department of transportation put the beams up it kind of took away from the beautiful pictures people could take. So, we thought about what we could do to benefit the beams being there,” says Doris Kennedy, a member of the festival’s organizing committee. Hartland-based Craig Manufacturing approached the town about creating decorative archways for each side of the bridge. The first archway, on the Hartland side, went up last week. “It shows two communities coming together to build a bridge in 1901, and that’s exactly what happened” says Kennedy. “Before that, people in the community were using ferries and ice bridges.” The bridge opened in 1901 under management of the community-formed Hartland Bridge Company. Cedar, spruce, and hard pine were used as the bridge’s first building materials. A bridge toll of a few cents was collected for wagons and pedestrians prior to 1906, when the bridge was transferred to provincial control and it officially became part of the provincial highway system. An ice jam would cause significant damage in April 1920. “It took out the western spans and one pier,” says Kennedy. “And remember, it was all made of wood, the piers included. That’s when (the province) decided to cover the bridge and make new concrete piers.” The bridge was finally covered by 1922, with a pedestrian walkway added in 1945. The covered bridge was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 1980, and a provincial historic site in 1999. There’s been several extended closures on the Hartland Covered Bridge in recent years due to construction and renovations. The most recent closure lasted six months earlier this year, allowing for work to repair wooden boards and repair the pedestrian walkway. Today, the New Brunswick government lists a total of 56 covered bridges still standing across the province, with 51 maintained by the department of transportation and infrastructure. In the 1940s there were as many as 340 covered bridges across the province. Earlier this month, vehicles were suddenly blocked from crossing the 80-year-old Hardscrabble Bridge in St. Martins. The province said the closure was done “in the interest of public safety, due to the structure’s deteriorated condition” with repairs expected to take years to complete. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
