Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing
Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Bridge | |
---|---|
District of North Vancouver | |
Official name | Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing |
Owner | British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure |
Characteristics | |
Design | Truss/cantilever bridge |
Material | Steel |
Total length | 1,292 metres (4,239 ft)[1] |
Longest span | 335 metres (1,099 ft)[1] |
History | |
Designer | Swan, Wooster and Partners |
Constructed by | Peter Kiewet and Sons, Raymond International,[2] and Dominion Bridge Company[3] |
Construction start | 1957 |
Opened | August 25, 1960 |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 121,778 (2021)[4] |
Location | |
The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, also called the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Second Narrows Bridge, is the second bridge constructed at the Second (east) Narrows of
The bridge is a steel truss cantilever bridge, designed by Swan Wooster Engineering Co. Ltd. Construction began in November 1957, and the bridge was officially opened on August 25, 1960. It cost approximately $23 million to build.[5] Tolls were charged until April 1, 1963.[6]
The bridge is 1,292 metres (4,239 ft) long with a centre span of 335 metres (1,099 ft). It is part of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1).
Collapse
On June 17, 1958, as a crane stretched from the north side of the new bridge to join the two chords of the unfinished arch, several spans collapsed. Seventy-nine workers plunged 30 metres (98 ft) into the water. Eighteen were killed either instantly or shortly thereafter, possibly drowned by their heavy tool belts. A diver searching for bodies drowned later, bringing the total fatalities for the collapse to nineteen. In a subsequent Royal Commission inquiry, the bridge collapse was attributed to miscalculation by bridge engineers. A temporary arm, holding the fifth anchor span, was deemed too light to bear the weight.[7]
In December 1957, a safety inspector from the British Columbia Workmen's Compensation Board had reported that the installation of a safety net under the work platforms was "impracticable" following the death of another steelworker.[8]
Renaming
The bridge was renamed the "Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing" on June 17, 1994, to honour the eighteen workers who died in the collapse, along with one rescue diver and four other workers who also died during the construction process.[9][10]
In popular culture
Bibliography
- Jamieson, Eric, Tragedy at Second Narrows: The Story of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, Harbour Publishing, 2008.
Notes
- On February 2, 2009, several University of British Columbia engineering students were arrested while attempting to suspend the shell of a Volkswagen Beetle under the bridge as part of an "Engineering Week" tradition.
See also
- List of bridges in Canada
- List of bridge disasters
References
- ^ a b Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing at Structurae
- . J110.L5 S7; 1957_V02_08_N1_N212. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- . J110.L5 S7; 1958_V02_04_J1_J243.
- ^ "Monthly Volume Calendar - Second Narrows P-15-2EW - NY" (PDF). British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. October 13, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- ^ "New bridge open amid subdued air". The Province. August 26, 1960. p. 1. Retrieved December 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staff Writer (April 1, 1963). "Bridge Traffic Goes Smoothly, Because it's Free, Free, Free". Vancouver Sun. p. 1. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ Lowe, Keith (June 26, 2000). "Bridge disaster recalled". North Shore News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2005. Retrieved February 4, 2006.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "50th anniversary of Second Narrows Bridge collapse". WorkSafe BC. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on January 1, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
- ^ "Second Narrows Memorial". The Vancouver Sun. June 18, 1994. p. A3. Retrieved December 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- History of Metropolitan Vancouver Archived October 29, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- Satellite image of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Second Narrows Bridge
- Vancouver, BC Bridge Under Construction Collapses, June 1958 Archived January 26, 2022, at the Wayback Machine at GenDisasters.com