Plaza Bridge

On September 26, Dalhousie presented Colonel By, the overseer of the construction of the Rideau Canal, with a letter authorizing him to divide the land into lots, and sod was turned.

[1] The land east of Bank Street had been acquired from Nicholas Sparks by the military, who returned it to him in late 1849, where he commenced its development.

Between 1910 and 1912, the area saw extensive construction, principally the construction of the Union Station and the Chateau Laurier, as well as the need to move railway traffic along the canal's eastern side, under the bridge bypassing the west side of the Chateau Laurier and continuing on towards the Royal Alexandra Interprovincial Bridge.

[5] Several buildings, including the Russell Hotel and Ottawa's first City Hall, existed in the place of today's National War Memorial.

In the 1930s, the memorial was erected and Elgin Street was rerouted around the Cenotaph, southbound traffic along the west side of the square and the northbound section along the path of the southern bridge.

[6] The Sapper's Bridge memorial was erected by the Canadian Military Engineer Centennial 1903-2003 Committee and the National Capital Commission.

The plaques, which were unveiled on April 29, 2004, are dedicated in honour of a century of contributing service by Canadian Military engineers.