Alexandra Bridge
During the 1840’s plans were developed to connect New Caledonia with Fort Langley. New Caledonia was the combined interior and northern regions of British Columbia, prior to the province’s establishment in 1871. It was a relatively remote area belonging to the Hudson’s Bay Company, and a trail linking it to the important trading and shipping hub of Fort Langley would be invaluable.
A ferry established in 1858 initially linked the east and west shore of the mighty Fraser River. However, with the Gold Rush drawing an endless march of potential prospectors to the region, it was obvious that a bridge was required. Joseph Trutch led construction of the original bridge, which was completed in 1861 as an integral part of the Cariboo Wagon Road. The bridge would be named after Princess Alexandra of Wales. Only two years later, Royal Engineers rebuilt the bridge as work on the wagon road progressed.
Declared the “eighth wonder of the world” when finished in 1865, the Cariboo Wagon Road was a pivotal link for the gold rush economy of the 1860’s - and ultimately played a significant part in establishing the new colony of British Columbia. Traversing roughly 650 kiliometres between Yale and Barkerville, the wagon road’s construction was an engineering feat. The rugged terrain of the Fraser Canyon made for challenging working conditions and through the course of the project, the most dangerous of tasks were completed by First Nations and Chinese labourers - many of whom lost their lives.
The bridge fell into general disrepair following the completion of the CPR railway during the early 1880’s and the majority of its wooden deck was washed away when the Fraser River flooded in 1894. A number of years later, in 1912, a road supervisor severed the suspension cables fearing for the safety of those risk-taking pedestrians who continued to cross. Following the First World War and the increased use of automobiles, the government of British Columbia began working on a new Cariboo Highway - renewing the need for a bridge.
The second Alexandra Bridge (featured here) reused the stone abutments of the original 1863 structure and the new bridge’s construction was completed by 1926. A toll booth was erected in nearby Spuzzum to collect the staggering one dollar toll, which at the time represented two hours of labour for a skilled tradesman - or accounting for inflation, roughly forty dollars today.
Today, Highway 1 traffic crosses the Fraser River over the modern and third Alexandra Bridge, which was built in the early 1960’s roughly two kilometres down river from the original site. On March 26, 1984, a small, 55 hectare parcel of land, east of historic the immediate 1926 bridge became Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park, though the bridge itself is not in the park and is ‘maintained’ by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Its weathered concrete abutments are cracked and crumbling, and its suspension cables are corroding and frayed, but standing mid-span you’re not likely to question is integrity - and will instead appreciate its history. Peer through the open-weave metal decking, ponder its nail-biting narrow width, and yourself imagine travelling the early Cariboo Highway in an early automobile of the 1930’s.
The park’s amenities aren’t overly lavish, with only picnic areas and pit toilets actively promoted. A short five hundred metre trail, and remnant of the old Cariboo Highway, gradually descends from the park lot to the bridge on the east shore of the Fraser River. Those planning to explore Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park should use caution if leaving the mark pathways and be aware that the rocks along the river banks are carpeted with an unfathomably slippery moss.