The Louise Bridge: past and present

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This article was published 30/07/2021 (1680 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bridges join neighbourhoods and cross rivers or industrial areas, but sometimes they connect the modern world with its history. The Louise Bridge connecting Elmwood with Point Douglas is one of these historic sites which help to preserve the past, while still performing a useful task in the present and looking into the future.

The Louise Bridge is a very recognizable feature of Elmwood, a steel through truss bridge first built in 1881 for trains to cross the Red River from Stadacona Street in Elmwood to Higgins Avenue in Point Douglas. 

According to the Winnipeg’s Historic Bridges site by George Siamandas, the bridge was “built in order to attract the CPR through Winnipeg instead of Selkirk” and named for Queen Victoria’s daughter, Louise. As the Historic Sites of Manitoba website explains, the original bridge was later adapted for automobile traffic.

The people of Winnipeg soon put the new bridge to good use. 

“For 15 years the Louise bridge carried not only the train, but pedestrians and their horses and wagons,” Siamandas says. 

As the population grew and the use of cars increased, the need for a bridge adapted to the needs of automobiles became clear. In 1910, the Algoma Steel Bridge Company replaced the old railway bridge with the current structure, allowing for cars and trucks to cross the river. This rebuilding made the Louise Bridge slightly younger than the Redwood Bridge, built in 1908. 

At just two lanes wide, the Louise Bridge served an important purpose in its time but soon became inadequate for the needs of a growing city. It was superseded in 1959 by the Disraeli Bridge but remained in use.  In 2008, the City of Winnipeg released a plan to expand the bridge to four lanes, but the bridge remains essentially the same as the remade bridge of the early 20th century.

Since it was built, the Louise Bridge has undergone renovations, including the most recent one in June 2021, when the bridge was temporarily closed to allow for repairs.

 For history and architecture enthusiasts, keeping the bridge in its two-lane form helps maintain an important connection with Winnipeg’s history.

The Louise Bridge seem quaint and impractical in these days of heavy traffic and busy schedules, but the structure is an important reminder of the city’s past. Even now, the bridge is a fascinating symbol of Winnipeg’s change and growth

Susan Huebert is a community correspondent for Elmwood. 

Susan Huebert
Elmwood community correspondent

Susan Huebert is a community correspondent for Elmwood

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