Sioux Narrows Bridge
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The Sioux Narrows Bridge is a bridge on Highway 71 at Sioux Narrows, Ontario, which spans the Sioux Narrows strait between Whitefish Bay and Lake of the Woods.
Originally built in 1936 as an all-wooden truss bridge built out of Douglas fir timber, it was at 210 feet the longest single-span wooden bridge in North America. The bridge overlooks the site of an 18th century battle in which the local Anishnaabe and Cree nations defeated an invading force of Sioux, which is reportedly the only time in the entire history of the North American First Nations that the Sioux were defeated in battle.
Due to its unique construction, the bridge was designated an Ontario Heritage Site. However, in the 1990s and early 2000s, the deteriorating quality of the structure necessitated load and lane restrictions on the bridge, and reconstruction soon became a necessity. Finally, a temporary bridge was built in 2003, and the wooden bridge was dismantled.
The decision was finally made to balance the need for structural improvements and durability with the structure's heritage by building the new bridge out of steel, but cladding the steel trusses in wood to preserve the original structure's appearance.
Construction began on the new bridge in 2006, and the bridge was reopened to traffic in November of 2007.
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