Borden Bridge

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Borden Bridge is an old reinforced concrete arch bridge that crosses the North Saskatchewan River near Borden, Saskatchewan, Canada. It used to carry vehicles on Highway 16, but today it is open to pedestrians only.

The bridge was built in 1936 during the Great Depression as a make-work project. It was constructed by R.J. Arrand Construction Co. and designed by C.J. Mackenzie, who was on leave from the University of Saskatchewan. Although plans in 1929 called for a steel bridge, the builders chose a labor-intensive concrete arch and used local farmers for the work.

In 1985, a new dual-span bridge was built just north of the old one to carry the highway traffic, and the Borden Bridge was closed to vehicles.

In 2007 the province sold the bridge to Orville Middleton for $33,000. He said he planned to turn it into an open-air dance hall. The Saskatchewan Architectural Heritage Society raised concerns about this idea, and by 2012 the plan had not moved forward because the rural municipality would not approve it. Middleton said he would donate the bridge and surrounding land to the Canadian Wildlife Federation if the dance hall plan did not happen. He also talked about possibly decorating the bridge with salvaged LED lights from Saskatoon’s Traffic Bridge.

In 2015 Middleton put the bridge up for sale for $1 million, but it remained unsold. As of 2019, the bridge was still not sold.