SPIDER-MAN IN NISTAWAYAW: Designed exclusively for #thefamexpo, featuring a Fort Mac landmark that us ~older~ locals will remember: The Grant MacEwan Bridge… more fondly remembered as “The Green Bridge” for a lot of us!
Limited prints available at the
@fam.expo.ymm , stop by on Saturday June 10th at Shell Place before they’re gone 💙✨♥️
The construction of the Grant MacEwan Bridge began in 1964, and was the first permanent structure to span the Athabasca River at nistawâyâw. Prior to it's construction, the only way to cross the river in nîpin (summer) was by boat, or via an ice bridge in pipon (winter). In the cold months, passage to our northern neighbors in Fort McKay, Fort Chipewyan, and locals' traplines was typically done with with sled-dogs, snowshoes, or skis since snowmobiles were only just becoming commonplace in the community around and after that time.
Many folks fondly referred to the original Grant MacEwan Bridge as "the green bridge" due to the iconic colour of the trusses; interestingly enough, it was widely believed that the metal of the structure had oxidized to that colour, but the varying tones of green were just the result of a weathered paint job that became an unforgettable landmark.
In 2013, everything except the piers of the original bridge were demolished, with the remaining structure being shortened and reused to connect a bridge directly to downtown Franklin Avenue. The Athabasca River Bridge, built in 2011, was built in conjunction with the demolishment of the Grant MacEwan Bridge, and now serves the original purpose of providing passage across the Athabasca River.
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