Ferry

The first way of crossing the Red River was by the Notre Dame Street (Pioneer Avenue) ferry, linking Broadway on the west with Provencher Blvd on the east. The ferry route was cancelled in 1882 with the opening of the Broadway Bridge. It sank on the Assiniboine River later that same year.^[4]

Broadway Bridge

Prior to the construction of the first Provencher Bridge was the Broadway Bridge (also known as the St. Boniface Bridge), which spanned the Red River and linked the cities of Winnipeg and St. Boniface by connecting Provencher Boulevard with Broadway.^[5]

Built by the joint-stock Assiniboine and Red River Bridge Company, a subsidiary of the Hudson Bay Company, the Broadway Bridge replaced the Notre Dame Street (Pioneer Avenue) ferry as the first bridge to link Winnipeg to St. Boniface.^[6]

The Broadway Bridge was a simple iron truss structure, about 270 metres (900 ft) in length, consisting of five 43 metres (140 ft) stationary spans and one swing span. Known as a Pratt or Whipple truss bridge, the Broadway Bridge was designed by Edward Worrell Jarvis and constructed by C. W. Dean of Cleveland, Ohio.^[3]

Construction of this bridge began in 1881 and was opened to traffic on April 16, 1882, as a private toll bridge, . Disaster struck three days later due to ice from annual Red River break-up, wiping away two spans of the bridge. The bridge remained closed until repairs were completed one year later.^[5][3][6]

In 1909, the City of St. Boniface bought the bridge for $59,000,^[6] and in 1912, city engineers recommended that a new bridge be built. Broadway Bridge remained in use until the completion of the construction of the Provencher Bridge in 1918, whereafter the Broadway Bridge was demolished.^[5]

First Provencher Bridge

In 1912, engineers of the City of St. Boniface recommended that the Broadway Bridge be replaced by a modern bridge with a refined aesthetic quality. A team of six engineers was recruited to oversee the construction project, and the cost would be split between St. Boniface (two thirds) and the City of Winnipeg (the remaining third).^[3][5]

The new viaduct, a double-leaf drawbridge designed by the Strauss Bascule Bridge Company of Chicago, began construction in 1913 or 1914. Construction was undertaken by MacDonald & McGoogan Company and the Dominion Bridge Co.^[3][5]

The new drawbridge along Provencher was opened in the summer of 1918, replacing the Broadway Bridge.^[3]

Instead of linking with Broadway, this new bridge was oriented slightly to the north; traffic crossing from the east was sent even further north, eventually connecting with Main Street about 500 metres from Broadway. Streetcars began operating on the bridge on December 3, 1925.

The second bridge was dismantled in 2001 for the opening of the third (current) bridge.

Current bridge

The third and current bridge consists of two paired bridges, a vehicular bridge and a pedestrian bridge (Esplanade Riel).^[1]

The City of Winnipeg decided to replace the 90-year old Provencher Bridge with a newer structure, following 2 and a half years of public consultation process. The bridge was designed by primary consultant Wardrop, and architectural design was provided by Guy Préfontaine and Étienne Gaboury.^[1]

To avoid disruptions the bridges were built in phases. The vehicular bridge was begun in 2001 and completed in 2003. The total project costs reached over $72.5 million for both bridges.^[1]