Covered Bridges of New Brunswick

The covered bridges of New Brunswick are on the 2018 Top 10 Endangered Places List.

Created by the National Trust for Canada

 — Posted May 23, 2018
Flume Ridge covered bridge in Charlotte County, New Brunswick.
Ray Boucher

Location

New Brunswick

Why they matter

Approximately 340 of these bridges existed at their peak in the 1940s, when a new network of roads connected communities across the province. Only 58 remain today. Representing more than a simple aid to transportation, the covered bridges of New Brunswick symbolize the province’s growth and prosperity in the 20th century.

Why they are endangered

With each passing year, New Brunswick’s covered bridges are increasingly at risk of irreparable damage or demolition due to a range of natural forces, accidents, vandalism, and lack of maintenance. Recent ice and flood waters have taken their toll, weakening and immediately threatening the future of many bridges.

Every year, the National Trust publishes its Top 10 Endangered Places List as part of its mission to raise awareness of the value that historic places bring to quality of life, local identity and cultural vitality.

First published in 2005, the Top 10 Endangered Places List has become a powerful tool in the fight to make landmarks, not landfill. The National Trust believes that historic places are cornerstones of identity, community and sense of place, yet every year, more are lost due to neglect, lack of funding, inappropriate development and weak legislation. By shining a spotlight on places at risk, the Top 10 Endangered Places List raises awareness about their plight and bolsters the efforts of local advocates working to save them.

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