Smiths Falls Bascule Bridge is an outstanding early example of a Scherzer Rolling Lift bascule bridge, a novel movable bridge concept developed by American engineer William Scherzer. It combines the balanced counterweight of a conventional bascule bridge with a unique rolling lift motion that all but eliminates friction. Erected in 1912-1913 to carry the Canadian Northern Railway main line across the Rideau Canal, a busy steamboat navigation system, the bridge was renowned for its ease and speed of operation, proving the efficacy of the concept.