Alexandra Bridge Fraser Canyon BC

The location is British Columbia’s scenic Fraser Canyon and our subject, the historic Alexandra Bridge. It spans the turbulent river at a point where it narrows and when standing there it’s a long drop down to the water below. The deck is of grated metal and when crossing it almost feels like walking on air. If heights are a bother, and for us sometimes that’s yes, then traversing it might be a tingly experience.

The structure dates from the mid-1920s, uses some elements of and in appearance is similar to an earlier 1860s built span. The original Alexandra Bridge was along the Cariboo Wagon Road, and the second incarnation for a newly built highway using some of the same route. There’s an even newer Alexandra Bridge, just downstream, and it replaced the one seen here close to sixty years ago.

The Fraser Canyon is rugged place, narrow and confined, steep walled, but in spite of this it’s home to two railways plus the highway. There’s barely room to fit them all in and to make it work required much effort. Often times they cling to a narrow shelf above the boiling water, cross and recross from side to side and are winding in nature.

There’s nothing straight along this section and speeds are low as a result. For trains and vehicles. Get stuck at a level crossing, or get behind a motorhome driven by some old grandpa and you’ll see. It’s the scenic route.

Spotted on the trail down to Alexandra Bridge.

By the 1910s the original Alexandra Bridge had fallen into disrepair and became too dangerous to cross. Not that many people used the old wagon road at the time anyway. The railways had siphoned away the traffic and made the route redundant then.

By the 1920s only some footings, piers and abutments remained. Some of these on the east side were reused for the new structure and if you look the old stonework is quite visible. How amazing they were able to reuse something that old yet have work well. Those old stone masons new what they were doing and should be celebrated.

Alexandra Bridge is named after Alexandra of Denmark and commemorates her marriage to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales who later went on to be King Edward VII in 1901. It’s a suspension bridge of riveted steel, with two concrete towers plus anchors at each end for support cables and which in turn hold up the deck.

The roadway surface is of grated metal which clears water and snow quickly. It does, however, allow one to look down to the river far below and when driven on tends induce odd handling in vehicles. This deck got installed in the late 1940s, but it’s not said what form it had before.

The bridge is one lane wide and presumably yield rules applied when approaching. The old highway makes a sharp bend at each end and it too is also quite narrow. Parts of it today are used as the walking trail used to access Alexandra Bridge but mostly it’s abandoned. Look for the old pavement and imagine driving this approach. On the west end, the old road soon ends at a washout and beyond gets lost in the forest.

Access to the structure is from Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park and the way signed. One must cross the active CN tracks and keep an eye open for bears too.

It seems there some scheduled worked planned for the bridge, although by appearances nothing has happened yet. Still, it’s in good shape considering its age and lack of regular maintenance over the years. A lien notice was found conspicuously taped to a beam although it’s in legalese and the issue not completely understood by us dummies. It appears one contractor’s suing the heritage organization for costs associated with masonry repairs and inspections. Judge Judy, where are you?

The original Alexandra Bridge sometimes operated as a toll bridge and this structure also did for time. By the mid-1940s this practice had ended.

By mid-century it became wholly inadequate for traffic levels at the time and a replacement considered. That happened in the early 1960s, with the highway rerouted and the old Alexandra Bridge decommissioned soon after. The new incarnation can be seen downstream and is an impressive deck arch bridge way above the river.

The Fraser here passes through a channel of bedrock and the whole area rugged and unforgiving. First Nation’s folks salmon fish along here and evidence of this found down near the water. We found old floats, nets and stuff like that. There’s rocky outcrops and precipitous drops down to the river along this stretch of canyon, but here there’s one small landing of sorts on the west side with easy access, where one can reach river level.

Mostly, however, it’s jagged rocks, cliffs and often impassable terrain.

The Canadian Pacific Railway mainline runs just above the bridge landing, but heavy forest blocks it from view. You can hear the trains however and given the challenges presented by the Fraser Canyon they move slow. Curves, more curves, steep cliffs, falling rocks, squealing wheels and locomotives taxed to the limit.

The old highway through the canyon was a treacherous winding affair and often blocked by washouts or the odd snowstorm come winter. Paved in the 1930s it was still a challenge to drive and had lots of single lane sections. Only in the 1960s did a new routing take place higher up and while still a thrill to drive, it’s rather benign compared to earlier.

In the 1980s the new Coquihalla Highway to the east siphoned much traffic off this route, so it’s not as busy as it used to be. It still can be hairy on a summer weekend, however, but come fall (the time of our visit) it’s pretty quiet. We’re looking at old #1 Trans-Canada but this section’s not the trunk route it used to be.

Sections of the old Cariboo Wagon Road can still be followed on the east side of the Fraser and near Alexandra Bridge. After well over 150 years and how amazing that it’s so easily followed. This old road connected the Lower Mainland to the Cariboo gold fields via a tortuous route of some six hundred and fifty kilometres. That sections still exists today is a testament to the skill and expertise of the Royal Engineers and their local contractors. Moss covers most everything, but even so the way’s clear.

The Alexandra Bridge is some eighty four metres across and about twenty five metres or so above mean river levels. It’s narrow (under five metres) and this in later years presented a real hindrance for transport trucks and the like. Driving a big rig along here must have been a real treat and most assuredly a white knuckle trip.

There’s plenty of graffiti on the bridge, but there’s few surfaces today, anywhere the world where it’s not present. Some of it here dates back a ways, but most is recent. There’s a tribute to a loved-one on the structure and it’s to one Jason Black. “In loving memory (1972-2020), love & miss you forever, our spirit in the sky.”

Views from the bridge are incredible and make clear the challenges presented to its builders. This be tough country folks.

Remains of the old highway.

Alexandra Bridge is historically recognized and restoration work planned for the future. What of that lien notice though? That’s not promising since it specifically mentions the group behind the project and things have yet to really get started. As of our visit in fall 2023, but looking online shows no current news on that front. Time will tell but these things move slow too.

Know more about the bridge (new tab): Alexandra Bridge Fraser River BC.

They’re saying…

”Chris and Connie are the real deal – their adventures are truly interesting and fun!” Justine Cooke.

Beautiful British Columbia…
The Giants of Cathedral Grove (BC). Big trees and little people.
Windsor Hotel Trout Lake. Old hotels and the best night’s sleep ever.
Three Bridges. Cross over and cross over again.

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Date of Adventure: November, 2023.
Location(s): Fraser Canyon, BC.
Article references and thanks: Rob Pohl & Arturo Pianzola, HistoricPlaces.ca, BC Archives, Northern BC Archives, MichaelKluckner.com and BC Parks.

It spans the mighty Fraser and disused since the 1960s.

A lien?

A memorial to Jason Black: 1972-2020.

The river’s a gorgeous blue/green.

One of two towers from which the deck is suspended.

The new (early 1960s built) Alexandra Bridge downstream.

Of riveted construction.

Anchors and the old highway beyond.

From down near water level and on the west bank.

The east pier was reused from the original 1860s structure.

A see-through deck and it’s long way down.

Moss grows on every surface.

Remains of the old Cariboo Wagon Road nearby.

Holding tight for almost one hundred years.

Towers and cables and rugged mountains.

Plenty of graffiti and photographer Arturo Pianzola in back.