This bridge was constructed by 8^th Field Engineer Regiment (8 FER) in Edmonton as part of the Canadian Military Engineers’ “Bridges for Canada” component of their 2003 Centenary celebrations. These celebrations were a three-year cooperative effort between the Trans Canada Trail Foundation (https://tctrail.ca/) and the Canadian Military Engineers.

In June 2002, 72 military engineers from 11 Armoured Engineer Battalion (Netherlands) arrived in New Brunswick to complete train at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, NB with 4 Engineer Support Regiment (4 ESR) of the Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE). Included in their program was the construction of two bridges along the Trans Canada Trail - one in St. Leonard and another in Ste. Anne de Madawaska. 
To build the bridge at Saint-Leonard, the Dutch brought enough Bailey bridge material from the Netherlands to build a 140-foot (43 metre) Load Class 40 bridge.

The bridge was opened on 15 June 2002. Attending the opening ceremony were: Honourable Percy Mockler - Minister of Transportation and MLA Madawaska-la-Vallee; Mr. André Brouwer - Consul General for the Netherlands; Lieutenant Colonel Leo van den Heuvel - Military Attaché for the Netherlands; Mr. Cecil Freeman – Chairman of the Board Trans Canada Trail Foundation and Colonel Christian Rousseau – CME Branch Representative.
Canadians share a close connection with the Netherlands dating from the Second World War. The people of the Netherlands have never forgotten the Canadian soldiers who liberated them from Nazi Germany so many years ago. Canadian veterans who fought in Holland have a very special place in the hearts of all Dutch people. The opening also provided a fitting opportunity for Lieutenant Colonel Leo van den Heuvel, the military attaché, to present a friendship medal to one of the many veterans who turned out for the event.

The bridge is named in honour of Lieutenant General Maarten Schouten, a prominent Dutch military engineer. LGen Schouten started his military career in 1961 at the Royal Military Academy in Breda. Over his career, he held important operational positions with the Royal Netherlands Army, including commanding the 41st Engineer Battalion, commanding the 12th Armored Infantry Brigade and commanding the 1st Army Corps. He later served as Deputy Chief of Defense Staff and Commander of the Land Forces before he retired from the army and went on to serve at NATO as Director Combined Joint Planning Staff at NATO in Mons. General Schouten has been awarded Commander in the Order of Orange-Nassau with the Swords, Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion, Officer's Cross, Marriage Medal 1966, Officer in the Order of Merit of France and with the "The Bronze Soldier."