# Pakenham Bridge

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thumb|270px|right|Pakenham Bridge, May 2009
The '''Pakenham Bridge''' is a stone bridge with five arches that crosses the [Mississippi River](/source/Mississippi_River_(Ontario)) at the town of Pakenham within [Mississippi Mills](/source/Mississippi_Mills%2C_Ontario), [Ontario](/source/Ontario), [Canada](/source/Canada). The bridge measures {{Convert|268|ft}} long, {{Convert|22|ft}} high, and {{Convert|25|ft}} wide. It is the only one of this type in North America.<ref name=county>{{cite web|title=The Seven Wonders of Lanark County: Pakenham Five Span Bridge|url=http://www.lanarkcounty.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=4511|publisher=County of Lanark|accessdate=28 December 2014}}</ref>

The bridge was built in 1903 by O'Toole & Keating, Scottish masons from [Ottawa](/source/Ottawa), for a cost of $14,500. The stones, the largest of which weighs 5 tons, came from a local [quarry](/source/quarry). As a result of local pressure to preserve it, the bridge was never replaced with a newer one and restored in 1984. At that time, the bridge was also strengthened with reinforced concrete to accommodate car and truck traffic.<ref name=county/>

With a parking lot and [rapids](/source/rapids) right at the bridge, it is a popular picnic spot. Here the Mississippi River drops a few meters over a wide cascade with exposed bedrock, but below the rapids there is a strong [undertow](/source/Undertow_(water_waves)) that has claimed several lives.<ref>{{cite web|author1=John Carter|title=Drowning in Pakenham prompts undertow warning|url=http://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/3799659-drowning-in-pakenham-prompts-undertow-warning/|website=insideottawavalley.com|publisher=Metroland Media|accessdate=28 December 2014|date=July 21, 2011}}</ref>

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

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Category:Deck arch bridges in Canada
Category:Designated heritage properties in Ontario
Category:Ontario Heritage Trust
Category:Road bridges in Ontario

{{EasternOntario-geo-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pakenham Bridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakenham_Bridge) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakenham_Bridge?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.