Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago the highest and longest steel rail bridge in the world was completed just west of Lethbridge, Alberta spanning the Oldman River and overlooking Fort Whoop-Up and the scene of the last great Indian Battle. This bridge played an integral part in opening up the west to commerce and development.
Officially named the Lethbridge Viaduct, it is simply known to everyone as the High Level Bridge. It was completed in exactly one year. At just over a mile long and three hundred feet high it was originally dubbed “one of the wonders of the world”, an engineering and construction marvel then as it is now.
The High Level Bridge has been in continual service since 1909, carrying ever longer and heavier rail traffic, a testament to the foresight and ingenuity of the pioneer builders of the time.
In 2008, the bridge was commemorated as a nationally significant aspect of Canadian history. This September the In the Shadow of the Bridge Festival will help us celebrate 100 years of the bridge.
I want to invite everyone to come to Lethbridge to see this engineering marvel and all the other fantastic attractions in southern Alberta.