Moosehorn Creek No.1.5

This is a funny one to get to. It is clearly visible from Highway 1, but you need to access it from the village of Norton.  From Route 124, turn onto Riverview Drive as seen on the map above.  Riverview Drive comes to an end and you have to park your car there and continue on a well marked path on foot under the highway to get to it. 

Mill Brook No. 0.5 (Nelson Hollow)

The Nelson Hollow bridge is situated very near the bank of the Southwest Miramichi River, and is notable for three things: it is the oldest extant covered bridge in the province, and it has the wonderful signs on each end (above) warning about the fine that will be issued if you drive "faster than a walk".  [Stephen and John Gillis published a book in 1988 on covered bridges entitled  No Faster Than A Walk, coming from the old legislation that made it an offense to go faster than a walk on a bridge for fear of potential damage to the structure by creating a standing wave.]  And the third notable fact: this bridge is one of only two in the province that has what is called a hip, or cottage, roof (the other being the Turtle Creek, Peter Jonah bridge).  Note how there are four sides to the roof, as opposed to the usual two sided, or gable, roofs found on the rest of the covered bridges in New Brunswick.

Unfortunately, and heartbreakingly, this bridge is a study in neglect and decay.  It is in dire need of repairs and loving care.  When I visited it in late October, 2015, there were holes in the roof, many siding boards had fallen into the water below, the wooden abutments were rotting, and the encroaching brush and scrub trees around it were in need of cutting right back.  Here are some pictures I took.

Gaspereau River No.2 (Burpee)

Coverdale River No.3 (Bamford Colpitts)

The Bamford Colpitts bridge is a sweet little bridge that is actually on private property now, though I believe it is maintained by the provincial DTI (I will correct this if wrong, but it has provincial signage on it, so one would assume).  You have to go down a short track beside a house on Route 895, and there it is.  I asked a couple of local people if I should stop and get permission to walk down to the bridge, and they said "I could if I wanted to", but didn't think it was necessary.  

This bridge has got some old advertisements painted on the inside frame that are still clearly visible (photos below).  I am not sure if these are original, or if someone had carefully repainted them in more recent years to preserve them.  The other thing of note for this bridge, is that the date sign over the front entrance says 1869, but the Provincial DTI site lists it as having been built in 1943, which is a  significant discrepancy.  I will follow up on  this when I have had a chance to do some research in the Archives.

The farmers who own the surrounding land  have put an enclosure in the river under the bridge for their cows to wade into the water for a drink or some shade.   It is in a lovely pastoral setting and makes this bridge one of my favorites.  

Undated picture of the bridge in a state of disrepair (below).  

Used with permission Province of New Brunswick