Skip to main content

J.C. Van Horne Bridge - New Brunswick and Quebec

Image
By

 


Serving as a vital link between northern New Brunswick and the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec, the J.C. Van Horne Bridge is a cantilever through truss bridge. Crossing the Restigouche River between Campbellton, New Brunswick, and the communities of Listuguj and Pointe-à-la-Croix in Quebec, the bridge is 804 meters (2,637 feet) long. The bridge consists of 4 deck truss approach spans on each side of the bridge and joined in the middle by a significant cantilever through truss structure. The cantilever through truss structure provides a clear span over the navigational channel of the Restigouche River below. The bridge carries an average of 12,500 vehicles daily, but there are not many roads or bridges that cross between this area of Quebec and New Brunswick. The next closest crossing of the Restigouche River is at the Matapedia Interprovincial Bridge, about 12 miles or 20 kilometers to the west near where NB 11 crosses into Quebec to meet QC 132.

Built between 1958 and 1961 and named for a New Brunswick politician by the name of Joseph Charles Van Horne, the J.C. Van Horne Bridge replaced a ferry service that ran across the Restigouche River between Campbellton and Pointe-à-la-Croix. The first ferry service between the two communities was established in 1855, taking passengers only. Later improvements to the ferry service allowed horses and buggies, and eventually, motorized vehicles, to cross. During the winters, the ferry was not in service, but there was an ice road in place across the Restigouche River to allow for crossing, with trees placed on either side of the ice road.

But by the 1950s, vehicular traffic began to increase for the ferry and a member of the Canadian Parliament representing New Brunswick, J.C. Van Horne, was tapped to make the case for a bridge to be constructed. Van Horne invited members of the federal and provincial governments to spend the day examining the traffic snarls and the length of time it took to get on a ferry. Van Horne selected July 26, 1957, for this day of observation, which happened to be the day of the St. Anne's Feast. People from all over the province came to attend the festival for the St. Anne's Day feast, so when the dignitaries arrived at the ferry crossing, there were long lines waiting at the slip. Legend has it that when the politicians asked "Is it always this busy"?,  Van Horne answered, "You should see it on Sundays"!

As a result of this visit, construction and funding for the J.C. Van Horne Bridge was authorized. The bridge was finally opened to traffic on October 15, 1961. Crossing back and forth between the provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec is much simpler and makes a world of difference for local residents and commerce. The bridge blends in well with the local scenery, I'd say. It's certainly a welcome sight in this otherwise quiet corner of eastern Canada and the North American continent.

A view of the J.C. Van Horne Bridge from the Restigouche River Experience Centre in Campbellton, New Brunswick. I've found some great views of the bridge from this area.

Crossing the J.C. Van Horne Bridge into New Brunswick. Signs lead you to the Appalachian Route, one of New Brunswick's signed scenic routes.

The J.C. Van Horne Bridge and Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance. The summit of Sugarloaf Mountain offers unparalleled views of the J.C. Van Horne Bridge, Campbellton, the Restigouche River and Chaleur Bay.

Crossing the J.C. Van Horne Bridge.

Entering New Brunswick from the J.C. Van Horne Bridge.

The nearby hills along the Restigouche River as seen from near the J.C. Van Horne Bridge.

The Campbellton Range Rear Lighthouse can be found near the J.C Van Horne Bridge, and I would guess you can get some pretty nice views of the bridge from the top of the lighthouse. While this current lighthouse was built in 1985 to incorporate a skeletal light tower into an octagonal lighthouse, the first lighthouse in Campbellton was built in 1879. For a while, the lighthouse also served as a hostel.

There is no fancy signage for the J.C. Van Horne Bridge itself, but since QC 132 is just a few miles over the bridge, you can follow the QC 132 signs to the bridge.


How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Government of Canada - J.C. Van Horne Bridge
Pictures and Photos of Canada - JC Van Horne Bridge New Brunswick
Rolf Hicker - JC Van Horne Bridge New Brunswick
Byron Christopher - Aerials: Campbellton & Area [2015]
Restigouche County New Brunswick, Canada Genealogy and History - A Van Horne Link
Labels:
Location: J.C. Van Horne Bridge, Canada

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Abandoned Fowler Avenue in Clovis, California

By
Originally Fowler Avenue in the city of Clovis had a brief discontinuation approaching Herndon Avenue.  Fowler Avenue traffic heading northbound was required to detour briefly onto westbound Herndon Avenue.  During 2001 this discontinuation was removed when Fowler Avenue was reconfigured to access the Sierra Freeway (California State Route 168) via an interchange.  This led to a segment of the original alignment of Fowler Avenue just south of Herndon Avenue to be abandoned.  Despite a shopping center opening over part of the original Fowler Avenue alignment in 2016 much of the abandoned roadway remains.   The history of the abandoned original alignment of Fowler Avenue in Clovis The original alignment of California State Route 168 departed downtown Clovis eastbound along Tollhouse Road.  This original alignment did not interact with Fowler Avenue at the Herndon Avenue intersection.  Fowler Avenue north of Tollhouse Road ran north to Herndon Avenue...
Post a Comment
Read more

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

By
  Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...
Post a Comment
Read more

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

By
  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...
Post a Comment
Read more