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Out with the Old, in with the New

Photograph of the old wooden Bridge at Grand-Métis circa 1925. The bridge is located about 1 km from the mouth of the Metis River. Both sides of the river present a forest landscape and wharf. A schooner is moored at the mouth of the river and offers a glimpse of the expanse of the St. Lawrence River.

Photograph

Wooden bridge over the Metis River, about 1920

Reford, Robert W.

Les Amis des Jardins de Métis Collection

…its chronic weakness and general decrepitude

The bridge over the Metis River was at the end of its life when the new Gaspé highway was built. The local newspaper decried the state of the bridge at the entrance to the peninsula as a “disgrace and a public danger”. It was in such poor condition that it was closed for the summer of 1929 because of “its chronic weakness and general decrepitude”. The newspaper called for its restoration or reconstruction. Local politicians clearly heard the call. Later the same year, the Comté de Rimouski received bids for the construction of a new bridge. It was opened for traffic the following year, a clean and elegant structure that was worth waiting for.