Hartland Covered Bridge

{{Short description|Covered bridge in New Brunswick, Canada}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox bridge | name = Hartland Covered Bridge | official_name = | image = Hartland covered bridge 2008.jpg | caption = Hartland Covered Bridge, from the Somerville side looking back toward Hartland. | crosses = Saint John River | carries = Hartland Bridge Hill Road | locale = Hartland-Somerville, New Brunswick, Canada | design = Howe truss covered bridge<ref name=structurae>{{Structurae|id=20005778|title=Hartland Bridge}}</ref> | material = concrete (piers)<br/>wood (truss)<ref name=structurae /> | mainspan = | length = {{convert|1,282|ft}} | width = | height = | spans = 7 | below = | load = 10 tonnes (regularly)<br>3 tonnes (since December 2023) | begin = {{Start date|1899|12}} | open = {{Start date|1901|05|14}} | complete = {{Start date|1901|6}} | cost = $33,000 | closed = | maint = | pierswater = 5 | replaces = Hartland ferry, Ice bridge | inaugurated = {{Start date|1901|7|4}} | coordinates = {{coord|46|17|48|N|67|31|49|W|display=inline,title|region:CA_type:city(746000)_source:nlwiki}} | extra = {{Designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = NHSC | designation1_offname = Hartland Covered Bridge National Historic Site of Canada | designation1_date = {{start date|1977|11|17}} | designation2 = New Brunswick | designation2_type = Provincial Heritage Place | designation2_date = {{start date|1999|9|15}} }} }}

The '''Hartland Covered Bridge''' ({{langx|fr|link=no|Pont couvert de Hartland}}) or '''Hartland Bridge''' is the world's longest covered bridge at {{convert|1282|ft}} in length. Located in New Brunswick, Canada, the bridge crosses the Saint John River, joining the Carleton County communities of Hartland and Somerville. The framework consists of seven small Howe Truss bridges joined on six piers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kennedy|first=Doris E.|title=Hidden History of Hartland|year=2009|isbn=978-0-9813773-0-8|page=221|chapter=Brief history}}</ref> The bridge was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1977, and a Provincial Heritage Place in New Brunswick under the ''Heritage Conservation Act'' in 1999.

The Hartland Bridge originally opened in 1901 after planning and construction work dating back to around 1898, though its construction had been proposed and discussed earlier. It was initially uncovered and a toll bridge. The Hartland Covered Bridge became covered after it was rebuilt when it became structurally damaged by weather in early 1920. Today, it is used primarily as a tourist attraction, featuring only one lane as well as load and height limits.

== Overview == The Hartland Covered Bridge is located on the {{convert|0.303|km|mi|abbr=on}} long Hartland Bridge Hill Road.<ref name="lostbridges">{{cite web |last1=Caswell |first1=Bill |title=Hartland, Carleton County |url=https://www.lostbridges.org/details.aspx?id=NB/55-02-07&loc=n |website=Covered Spans of Yesteryear (lostbridges.org) |access-date=June 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Corey |title=Local Government Kilometrage: Hartland |url=https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/trans/pdf/Municipal-Kilometrage2024/2024_Hartland.pdf |work=Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Capital Planning |publisher=Government of New Brunswick |access-date=June 24, 2024 |page=4 |date=December 15, 2023 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014104/https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/trans/pdf/Municipal-Kilometrage2024/2024_Hartland.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It crosses the Saint John River, connecting the Carleton County towns Hartland and Somerville.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Epoxy polymer overlay protects wooden deck of historic bridge |magazine=Materials Performance |date=November 2008 |volume=47 |issue=11 |pages=16–18 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/222949749 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |publisher=NACE International |location=Houston, Texas |id={{ProQuest|222949749}} |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014139/https://www.proquest.com/docview/222949749/51BCC8140D064CE4PQ/2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Formerly part of the Trans-Canada Highway,<ref name="lostbridges"/> the bridge connects New Brunswick Route 103 (Somerville side) to New Brunswick Route 105 (Hartland side).<ref name="DailyGleaner-2024">{{cite news |last1=Grey |first1=Shana |title=World's longest covered bridge reopens - but with reduced weight limit |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2916287588 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=January 18, 2024 |page=A7 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014324/https://www.proquest.com/docview/2916287588/5435D7650D1B4A21PQ/1 |id={{ProQuest|2916287588}} |url-status=live }}</ref> As the world's longest covered bridge, it is often visited by tourists. It only contains one lane.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dickinson |first1=Doug |title=The intriguing rules of the world's longest covered bridgeLocal ice cream vendor often advises tourists on crossing the bridge; Hartland residents and tourists share their take on the rules and etiquette of driving across an N.B. icon |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1027025732 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Bugle-Observer |agency=Canwest |date=July 20, 2012 |page=A1 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625004612/https://www.proquest.com/docview/1027025732/DFDADF9FD85347B3PQ/3 |id={{ProQuest|1027025732}} |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History== === Background === Historically, the Saint John River was crossed in the area ferry.<ref name="PANB">{{cite web |title=Covered Bridges: A Part of New Brunswick's Heritage – History of the Hartland Bridge – The World's Longest |url=https://archives.gnb.ca/exhibits/CoveredBridges/Main.aspx?culture=en-CA&Page=04 |website=Provincial Archives of New Brunswick |access-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-date=July 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703072740/https://archives.gnb.ca/exhibits/CoveredBridges/Main.aspx?culture=en-CA&Page=04 |url-status=live }}</ref> The need for a bridge in Hartland became a political issue in the late 19th century. In 1896, Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick member Allan Dibblee advocated for its construction, threatening to oppose the government if a grant was not received. At that time, the government allocated $400,000 ({{Inflation|CA|400000|1896|fmt=eq}}) for constructing new bridges.<ref name="Dispatch-1">{{cite news |title=Ottawa Has No Charms For Him: J. T. A. Dibblee M. P. P. Says He Will Not Run |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/18767/pages/140367 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Dispatch |date=May 13, 1896 |location=Woodstock, N.B. |page=1 |volume=2 |number=50 |archive-date=June 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624235310/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/18767/pages/140367 |url-status=live }}</ref> Proposals for a Hartland bridge began as early as 1895.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hartland Bridge - Chief Commissioner Emmerson Promises the People a Bridge Across the River |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00374_18950619/9 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=Weekly Sun |date=June 19, 1895 |location=Saint John, N.B. |page=9 |volume=18 |number=25 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014259/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00374_18950619/9 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New Hartland Bridge - The Local Government Likely Getting Ready for an Election |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00374_18950911/6 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=Weekly Sun |date=September 11, 1895 |page=6 |volume=18 |number=37 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626142546/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00374_18950911/6 |url-status=live }}</ref> A letter to the ''Hartland Advertiser'' in December 1897 highlighted the importance a bridge would have for residents "within a radius of five or six miles" from Hartland.<ref>{{cite news |title=Two Burning Questions |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/120/issues/19972/pages/149928 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=Hartland Advertiser |date=December 25, 1897 |page=3 |volume=1 |number=45 |archive-date=June 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624235311/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/120/issues/19972/pages/149928 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Construction === Initial planning for the bridge began in 1898.<ref name="PANB"/> As a result of the issue, efforts to incorporate the Hartland Bridge Company were made in early 1899.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Bridge Meeting |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/120/issues/20023/pages/150286 |access-date=August 6, 2024 |work=Hartland Advertiser |date=January 14, 1899 |volume=2 |issue=49}}</ref> On October 9, 1899, the Hartland Bridge Company submitted construction plans with the Minister of Public Works.<ref>{{cite news |title=Notice |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/18938/pages/141738 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Dispatch |date=October 23, 1899 |page=5 |volume=6 |number=21 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014112/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/18938/pages/141738 |url-status=live }}</ref> A public notice calling for contractor tenders was issued by ''The Royal Gazette'' on October 25, 1899, with a deadline of November 20.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bridge Notice |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/168/issues/28457/pages/210776 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Royal Gazette |publisher=Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick |date=October 25, 1899 |location=Fredericton, New Brunswick |page=283 |volume=57 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014112/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/168/issues/28457/pages/210776 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Dispatch'' featured a story from the ''Hartland Advertiser'' on November 15, providing an update on bridge development, indicating that the Hartland Bridge Company has begun purchasing land for the site(s) of the bridge pier.<ref>{{cite news |title=Local Topics |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/18941/pages/141761 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Dispatch |agency=Hartland Advertiser |date=November 15, 1899 |page=8 |volume=6 |number=24 |archive-date=June 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624235320/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/18941/pages/141761 |url-status=live }}</ref> By December 13, 1899, the tender was awarded to Albert Brewer for $27,945, the lowest bid. The bridge's construction was expected to completed within one year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Local Topics - The Press says |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/18944/pages/141781 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Dispatch |date=December 13, 1899 |page=8 |volume=6 |number=28 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014112/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/18944/pages/141781 |url-status=live }}</ref> Construction materials were being shipped by February 1900, and the bridge was to have seven piers and two abutments.<ref>{{cite news |title=Local Topics |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19002/pages/142243 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Dispatch |date=February 28, 1900 |page=8 |volume=6 |number=39 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625000814/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19002/pages/142243 |url-status=live }}</ref> By April 1900, three piers were built, with an estimated completion "by next November."<ref>{{cite news |title=The Hartland Bridge - The Fourth Pier Being Put in Position |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00386_19000407/6 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Semi-Weekly Telegraph |date=April 7, 1900 |page=6 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626144256/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00386_19000407/6 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 1901, the ''Hartland Advertiser'' reported the bridge was "now completed as far as the actual construction is concerned," with the flooring still to be added before it could open to the public. Charles McCormac, president of the Hartland Bridge Company, sought discussions with the government about implementing bridge tolls, proposing costs of "3c for foot passengers, 6c for single teams, and 12c for double teams."<ref>{{cite news |title=The New Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00370_19010330/2 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=St. John Star |agency=Hartland Advertiser |date=March 30, 1901 |page=2 |volume=1 |number=172 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626144259/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00370_19010330/2 |url-status=live }}</ref> By late April 1901, progress on the bridge was described as "all floored but the span on the west end."<ref>{{cite news |title=The Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190101/843 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |agency=Woodstock Dispatch |date=April 26, 1901 |pages=9–10 |volume=11 |number=99 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014815/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190101/843 |url-status=live }}</ref> The bridge was opened on May 14, 1901.<ref name="PANB"/> On June 12, 1901, ''The Daily Gleaner'' reported that construction was nearly finished, with a formal opening planned to be held "sometime during July."<ref>{{cite news |title=In And About The City - The Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190106/37 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=June 12, 1901 |page=8 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626145643/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190106/37 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Completion and early use === thumb|left|Hartland Bridge when it opened on July 4, 1901.

On May 13, 1901, A. W. Estey, a doctor from Hartland, became the first person to cross the Hartland Bridge one day before its official opening; he received an emergency call when workers were finalizing construction.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Finnamore |first1=Allison |title=Marking a century |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/412812391 |access-date=June 30, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=June 30, 2001|id={{ProQuest|412812391}} }}</ref> Following its completion and use before the official opening, the bridge generated around $8 to $12 daily in toll revenue, deemed "very satisfactory".<ref name="DailyGleaner-1">{{cite news |title=Hartland Bridge – To be Formally Opened with Appropriate Ceremonies On July 4th |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190106/156 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=June 29, 1901 |page=5 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014619/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190106/156 |url-status=live }}</ref> The opening ceremony was scheduled for July 4, 1901, with invitations announced shortly beforehand.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190106/136 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=June 26, 1901 |page=7 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014816/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190106/136 |url-status=live }}</ref> Prominent individuals, including government members, attended the ceremony,<ref name="DailyGleaner-1"/> which drew "nearly 4,000 people from surrounding villages and the countryside". Provincial government members present included Premier Lemuel John Tweedie, Stephen Burpee Appleby, Harrison A. McKeown, and Charles H. LaBillois.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hartland Bridge – Formally Opened on Thursday – Members of Government Present |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190106/184 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=July 5, 1901 |page=3 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014620/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190106/184 |url-status=live }}</ref> The bridge was not originally built covered.<ref name=structurae />

The Hartland Bridge utilized a toll system,<ref>{{cite news |title=Opening Hartland Bridge |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19028/pages/142459 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Dispatch |date=June 26, 1901 |page=1 |volume=8 |number=4 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625012036/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19028/pages/142459 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A Big Day in Hartland |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19039/pages/142552 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Dispatch |date=July 10, 1901 |page=1 |volume=8 |number=6 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014817/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19039/pages/142552 |url-status=live }}</ref> which saw opposition voiced as early as February 1902, during which a petition for its abolition was held.<ref>{{cite news |title=Provincial News |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190112/546 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=February 22, 1902 |page=7 |quote=A petition is in circulation for presentation to the local government to abolish the toll on the Hartland bridge. |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014621/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190112/546 |url-status=live }}</ref> On October 10, 1902, a local delegation requested the government to take over ownership and make the bridge free.<ref>{{cite news |title=Government In Session |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00375_19021015/7 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=Semi-Weekly Sun |date=October 15, 1902 |location=St. John, N.B. |page=7 |volume=25 |number=83 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627014632/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00375_19021015/7 |url-status=live }}</ref> The provincial government purchased the bridge for $5,461.71 that year,<ref>{{cite news |title=The Provincial Deficit In 1906 |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190703/252 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=April 26, 1907 |page=3}}</ref> and the toll system was removed on May 1, 1906,<ref>{{cite news |title=A Free Bridge Now – Since May 1st Tolls Are Not Charged to Cross the Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190604/182 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=May 5, 1906 |page=4}}</ref> following an earlier announcement.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stevens |first1=Fred H. |title=News of Hartland and Vicinity – Celebrate the Free Bridge |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19364/pages/145071 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Dispatch |date=March 7, 1906 |page=5 |volume=12 |number=40 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626163019/https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/serials/119/issues/19364/pages/145071 |url-status=live }}</ref> On July 15, 1907, a fire broke out near the bridge, causing over $130,000 in damages to nearby businesses. The bridge and its toll house had "narrow[ly] escape[d] from destruction."<ref>{{cite news |title=The Village Of Hartland Was Almost Wiped Out This Morning |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00371_19070715/1 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Star |date=July 15, 1907 |location=Saint John, N.B. |page=1 |volume=7 |number=258}}</ref> The fire was quickly suspected to have been started with an incendiary device.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hartland Fire Of Incendiary Origin; People Aroused And Ask Investigation |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00371_19070716/1 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Star |date=July 16, 1907 |location=Saint John, N.B. |page=1 |volume=7 |number=259 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626195938/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00371_19070716/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> A man was arrested and charged five days afterwards,<ref>{{cite news |title=Hartland Man Under Arrest - Charged with Setting Recent Serious Fire There |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00371_19070722/6 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Star |date=July 22, 1907 |location=Saint John, N.B. |page=6 |volume=7 |number=264}}</ref> but was later released before trial due to insufficient evidence.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lorne McNally Not Sent Up For Trial |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00371_19070821/7 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Star |date=August 21, 1907 |page=7 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626195939/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00371_19070821/7 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Thornton Was Discharged |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00371_19070907/10 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Star |date=September 7, 1907 |page=6 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626195942/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00371_19070907/10 |url-status=live }}</ref> In March 1909, a local news item on ''The Daily Gleaner'' reported that a contract for supplying materials for re-flooring the bridge had been awarded.<ref>{{cite news |title=Local News – Contract Awarded |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_190903/120 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=March 18, 1909 |page=8}}</ref>

=== Restoration and modern use === thumb|Hartland Covered Bridge, pictured from the Hartland side By the late 1910s, the bridge's deteriorating condition had become a political issue. There were calls to address its maintenance<ref>{{cite news |title=In The Matter Of Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00114_191801/290 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Carleton Observer |date=December 19, 1918 |page=3 |volume=10 |number=28 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627015153/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00114_191801/290 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00385_19181209/4 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The St. John Standard |date=December 9, 1918 |location=Saint John, N. B. |page=4 |volume=X |number=215 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627015153/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00385_19181209/4 |url-status=live }}</ref> and replace it with a steel structure.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Steel Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00114_191801/380 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Carleton Observer |date=March 6, 1919 |volume=10 |number=39 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627015236/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00114_191801/380 |url-status=live }}</ref> Preparations for repairs began in November 1919.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00358_19191117/6 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Evening Times Star |date=November 17, 1919 |location=Saint John, N. B. |page=6 |volume=XVI |number=40 |quote=R. C. Fletcher of Devon has recommenced work on the renewing of the bridge across the river at Hartland. Lumber is arriving and the work of framing is about to start. The old structure will not be closed to traffic until an ice bridge forms. |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627015426/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00358_19191117/6 |url-status=live }}</ref> By early January 1920, construction work was underway, and traffic was closed due to an ice bridge.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Hartland Bridge – Observer |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00358_19200103/2 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Evening Times And Star |date=January 3, 1920 |page=2 |volume=XVI |number=79 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627015156/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00358_19200103/2 |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 6, 1920, heavy rainfall caused a freshet as well as ice to damage the west side of the bridge, resulting in two spans collapsing.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ice Running In Upper River; Is Doing Damage |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_192002/337 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=April 7, 1920 |page=1 |volume=30 |number=81 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627015158/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_192002/337 |url-status=live }}</ref> In response to the damage, there was a controversial proposal to convert the Hartland Bridge into a covered bridge. Benjamin Franklin Smith, a legislative member representing Carleton, opposed the idea, with ''The Daily Gleaner'' summarizing his opinion of it as being "considerable of a menace".<ref>{{cite news |title=Supply Items Were About All Finished In the Legislature at Saturday's Sitting - The Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_192002/406 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=April 19, 1920 |page=6}}</ref>

In late April 1920, the legislature passed an act guaranteeing the reconstruction of the bridge.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Complete List of the 142 Acts Passed By the Legislature at Its Recent Session |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_192002/490 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=April 27, 1920 |page=4 |volume=30 |number=99}}</ref> Reconstruction of the piers began around August 1920, with an estimate to hire "upwards of 100 men".<ref>{{cite news |title=Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00358_19200810/7 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Evening Times And Star |date=August 10, 1920 |location=Saint John, N. B. |page=7 |volume=XVI |number=263}}</ref> Repairs were completed by the following year, and the bridge reopened to traffic on March 7, 1921.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hartland Bridge Open For Traffic |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00126_192011/1010 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=The Daily Gleaner |date=March 8, 1921 |page=4}}</ref> A roof was added to the bridge that same year.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramshaw |first1=Andre |title=Keep it covered; New Brunswick's many historic enclosed bridges are sturdy links to simpler, slower and safer times |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2409902415 |access-date=June 30, 2024 |work=Star-Phoenix |publisher=Postmedia Network |date=June 6, 2020 |language=en |id={{ProQuest|2409902415}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chenier |first1=Noel |title=A bridge, so far; The forensic details of Hartland's span |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/423260374 |access-date=June 30, 2024 |work=Telegraph-Journal |agency=Canwest |publisher=Brunswick News |date=May 6, 2006|id={{ProQuest|423260374}} }}</ref> Starting in April 1925, repairs were made to the bridge's floor to address noise complaints.<ref>{{cite news |title=Repairs To Hartland Bridge |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00114_192404/463 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Carleton Observer |date=April 29, 1925 |page=8 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625012025/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00114_192404/463 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Public Nuisances |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00114_192404/511 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=The Carleton Observer |date=June 10, 1925 |page=8 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625012028/https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00114_192404/511 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Hartland Covered Bridge, like many other covered bridges in New Brunswick, has suffered damage from weather, vandalism, and vehicle accidents.<ref>{{cite news |title=Residents have special feelings for longest covered bridge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal/150175087/ |access-date=June 27, 2024 |work=Edmonton Journal |agency=The Canadian Press |date=May 17, 1986 |page=32}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Goss |first1=David |title=Is this the world's longest covered bridge? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/150176116/ |access-date=June 27, 2024 |work=The Boston Globe |date=May 16, 1993 |page=206}}</ref> In 1970, heavy trucks were barred from crossing the bridge.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7997768/heavy_trucks_banned/|title=Heavy Trucks Banned|work=The Ottawa Journal|date=8 Apr 1970|page=47|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=25 December 2016|archive-date=26 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226055946/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7997768/heavy_trucks_banned/|url-status=live}}</ref> The bridge was designated a National Historic Site on November 17, 1977,<ref name=crhp>{{CRHP|7623|Hartland Covered Bridge National Historic Site of Canada}}</ref> and a Provincial Historic Site under the ''Heritage Conservation Act'' on September 15, 1999.<ref>{{CRHP|1330|Hartland Covered Bridge|18 February 2013}}</ref> In 2006, Hartland contributed a wooden piece of the bridge to the Six String Nation project's ''Voyageur'' guitar.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/sixstringnation60000tayl|title=Six string nation : 64 pieces, 6 strings, 1 Canada, 1 guitar|last=Jowi.|first=Taylor|date=2009|publisher=Douglas & McIntyre|isbn=9781553653936|location=Vancouver|oclc=302060380|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Voyageur |url=https://www.sixstringnation.com/voyageur |website=Six String Nation |access-date=June 30, 2024 |language=en}}</ref> For its 111th anniversary on July 4, 2012, the bridge was celebrated with a Google Doodle on Google's Canadian homepage.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bissett |first1=Kevin |title=New Brunswick's famous Hartland Bridge gets 'Google doodle' |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/new-brunswicks-famous-hartland-bridge-gets-google-doodle/article4389155/ |access-date=June 30, 2024 |work=The Globe and Mail |date=July 4, 2012 |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Google Doodle honours the Hartland Covered Bridge |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/google-doodle-honours-the-hartland-covered-bridge-1.1218459 |access-date=June 30, 2024 |work=CBC News |date=July 4, 2012}}</ref>

In October 2023, a structural survey found a "downward bend," leading to the bridge's closure for repairs. When it reopened in late December 2023, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure announced a load limit reduction from ten tonnes to three tonnes "until further notice".<ref name="DailyGleaner-2024"/>

== Bridge dimensions == [[File:Traversée du pont Hartland.webm|thumb|Dashcam footage of an individual driving through the Hartland Covered Bridge]]

The Hartland Covered Bridge is the longest covered bridge in the world.<ref name="Clusiau83">{{harvsp|Clusiau|2000|p=83}}</ref> Parks Canada lists the bridge's span as 390.75 metres, or approximately 1,282 feet.<ref name="ParksCan">{{cite web |title=Hartland Covered Bridge National Historic Site of Canada |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=181 |website=Directory of Federal Heritage Designations |publisher=Parks Canada |access-date=June 26, 2024 |language=en}}</ref> ''Guinness World Records'' rounds this up to 391 metres, "from one bank to the other."<ref name="GWW">{{cite web |title=Longest covered bridge |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/678276-longest-covered-bridge |website=Guinness World Records |access-date=June 27, 2024}}</ref> Of its seven spans, five are {{convert|51|m|ft}}, and two are {{convert|43.9|m|ft}}.<ref name="ponts carleton">{{cite web|title=Ponts couverts - Comté de Carleton|url=http://www.gnb.ca/0113/coveredbridges/cb-carleton-f.asp|website=www.gnb.ca|publisher=Ministère des Transports du Nouveau-Brunswick|access-date=27 May 2011|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210125947/http://gnb.ca/0113/coveredbridges/cb-carleton-f.asp|archive-date=10 February 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is also the longest covered bridge ever constructed in Canada, the second-longest being a {{convert|377|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} bridge on the Batiscan river in Quebec, used between 1844 and 1870.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arbour |first1=Gérald |last2=Caron |first2=Fernand |last3=Lefrançois |first3=Jean |title=Les ponts couverts du Québec |date=2005 |publisher=Les publications du Québec |isbn=978-2-551-19636-4 |at=chapter 21|language=fr}}</ref> It is not the longest covered bridge that has ever been built; some longer bridges were built earlier in the 19th century, including the earliest renditions of the Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge in Pennsylvania, though such bridges have since ceased to exist.<ref name="GWW"/>

The bridge has one lane.<ref name="Clusiau85">{{harvsp|Clusiau|2000|p=85}}</ref> It has a usual load limit of ten tonnes, which has since been reduced to three tonnes after being re-opened in December 2023 following maintenance work. Heavier vehicles must detour using the nearby Hugh John Flemming Bridge.<ref name="DailyGleaner-2024"/> A small covered walkway, in place since the mid-1940s, is attached to the side of the bridge and allows pedestrian access.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rioux |first1=Rose A. |title=Driving through New Brunswick, Quebec, Gaspe Peninsula |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/268450286 |access-date=June 27, 2024 |work=Telegram & Gazette |agency=New York Times Company |date=December 1, 1991 |page=F9 |id={{ProQuest|268450286}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Nick |title='Downward bend' repairs to keep vehicles off Hartland Covered Bridge all November |url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/downward-bend-repairs-to-keep-vehicles-off-hartland-covered-bridge-all-november-1.6633574 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107071522/https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/downward-bend-repairs-to-keep-vehicles-off-hartland-covered-bridge-all-november-1.6633574 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |access-date=June 27, 2024 |work=CTV Atlantic |date=November 6, 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="ParksCan"/>

== See also == * Covered Bridge (company) * List of bridges in Canada * List of crossings of the Saint John River * Structure gauge

== References == === Citations === {{reflist}}

=== Works cited === * {{cite book |language=fr |first1=Éric |last1=Clusiau |title=Des toits sur nos rivières: Les ponts couverts de l'est du Canada |location=Montréal |publisher=Éditions Hurtubise HMH |date=2000 |isbn=2-89428-420-9}}

== Further reading == * {{cite news|title=Hartland Fire|date=July 19, 1907|work=The Carleton Sentinel}} in {{cite book|last=Kennedy|first=Doris E.|title=Hidden History of Hartland|year=2009|isbn=978-0-9813773-0-8|page=22|chapter=The Fire Monday July 15, 1907}}

==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}

{{New Brunswick parks}} {{NHSC}} {{Saint John River}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Road bridges in New Brunswick Category:Bridges completed in 1901 Category:Covered bridges in Canada Category:Buildings and structures in Carleton County, New Brunswick Category:Transport in Carleton County, New Brunswick Category:Bridges over the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy) Category:National Historic Sites in New Brunswick Category:Wooden bridges in Canada Category:Tourist attractions in Carleton County, New Brunswick Category:Bridges on the National Historic Sites of Canada register Category:Former toll bridges in Canada