Proposals for a bridge crossing of the Saint John Harbour had been a debated topic as early as 1874. During a
House of Commons session in April of that year, there was discussion of potentially introducing a harbour crossing via
Navy Island.
John Ferris, MP of Queen's at the time, opposed the Navy Island crossing and argued that such a bridge would be "destructive to river craft," instead arguing that any harbour crossing should be placed at the
Reversing Falls to be high enough to clear passing vessels. By the mid-20th century, the rate of industrial and residential growth in Saint John and surrounding communities necessitated a second bridge over the Saint John River. The old
Reversing Falls Bridge was adequate for handling the post-War traffic growth; however public concerns about where to build a new highway and bridge frustrated the idea for many years. On May 1, 1961 the city's Common Council appointed a 6-member citizens' committee which then directed various studies and discussions. Ultimately, the bridge was built as a cooperative project between the federal, provincial and municipal governments. They decided to purchase the majority of the Mill Street Yard from the
Canadian Pacific Railway for a new highway alignment which would run through the middle of the city downstream of Reversing Falls. The federally controlled
National Harbours Board (now Ports Canada) would build the bridge. Part of this deal involved the NHB collecting a 25¢ toll in each direction. Under the original act prevented any toll increase for forty years without federal, provincial and municipal agreement. . The bridge's construction had early critics, including
K. C. Irving, who in 1965 critiqued the $18 million budget through publicly released letters addressed to the vice-chairman of the Harbour Bridge Authority, the
Common Council, and the mayor. The selected location remains controversial as it prevents high-clearance vessels from navigating into the upper part of the Saint John Harbour. Construction of the bridge also drew to a close the status of
Navy Island as an island within the Inner Harbour and resulted in the demolition of the historic neo-
gothic Union Station. Earlier proposals had called for the Saint John Throughway and the bridge to be built north of the
Reversing Falls gorge. ==Design and capacity==