It’s been 62 years since the longest suspension bridge east of the Rocky Mountains was built.
In a documentary of its making, the original engineer Hugh Pratley celebrated the Maritime marvel as a career highlight.
"I have an unusual privilege of making a pretty big mark on the landscape," Pratley says.
Named after a former Nova Scotia premier, the Angus L Macdonald Bridge first opened to the public on April 2, 1955. Deborah Anthony got a special crossing long before then.
“My mother and I, our claim to fame is we were the first unofficial women to ever cross over the Macdonald Bridge."
Anthony’s father worked for Dominion Bridge as the pay clerk, doling out the weekly wages. At the time, the toll to cross was just 10 cents. That charge was to disappear once the bridge was all paid off.
While Anthony says some may complain about still paying a toll 62 years later, she believes the real cost was the price paid to build the structure.
"Dad used to tell us about one gentleman they lost when they were pouring the concrete underneath the bridge. He fell in while concrete being poured and there wasn't anything they could do. The concreate was poured so quickly," says Anthony.
She describes the bridge and the men who built it as a true gift for future generations, improving the lives of everyone and cutting down on cost and time for the flow of people and goods to pass between Dartmouth and Halifax.
At the time, it was promoted as "a sign in the sky of a secure and prosperous future.” While many of the former workers have passed on, the bridge continues to stand as a lasting legacy. But it has needed some help along the way.
For the second time in its history, what's commonly known as the old bridge is new again thanks to a multi-million dollar facelift project dubbed The Big Lift.
"Everybody involved in this project feel a great deal of ownership and pride for helping rebuild the Macdonald Bridge," says Alison Macdonald of the Halifax Bridges Commission.
Hundreds of more workers are now adding their present day touch to the historic landmark, all giving the Macdonald Bridge a new lease on life.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Marie Adsett.
