We've Got You Covered!
As you walk out of the walkway on the Somerville side of the bridge, you'll see a rather steep incline leading down to the bridge, locally known as Bridge Hill. It can still be a cautious drive in the winter, but imagine back to the early 1900s when this hill saw horse-drawn wagons navigating its icy slope—certainly a test of skill and nerve, with plenty of close calls along the way.
Then, just as spring thaw brings beauty, it also brings one of nature's dangerous forces—the ice break-up. Each spring, melting snow and ice from the hillsides flow into the Saint John River, swelling it and creating a powerful push against any obstacle in its way. The pressure from this moving ice, colliding and stacking as it flows downstream, can cause jams that back up the river, flooding the surrounding areas and posing a serious threat to structures like our bridge.
Look closely over the bridge walkway you just came through, and you’ll notice something unusual about the roof—the first two sections don’t align with the rest. In 1920, an intense spring ice breakup damaged the bridge, taking out these two sections—before the structure was covered. People could sense the bridge would soon give way, and there are stories of horses and wagons making their final, hurried dash across before it was swept away.
In 1922, the government completed the replacement of these two lost sections and added a roof over the entire bridge to protect against rot and further structural damage. However, in the haste to finish the repairs, the new sections didn’t quite line up perfectly, resulting in the unique roof alignment you see today—a lasting reminder of the bridge’s resilience through over a century of history.