Cambie Street Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Cambie Bridge is a six-lane symmetric
, precast
, varying-depth-post tension-box girder bridge
spanning False Creek
in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. The current bridge opened in 1985, but is the third bridge at the same location. Sometimes referred to as the Cambie Street Bridge, it connects Cambie Street
on the south shore of False Creek to both Nelson and Smithe Streets in the downtown peninsula. It is the easternmost of False Creek's fixed crossings; the Burrard
and Granville
bridges are a little more than a kilometre to the west, and the new Canada Line
SkyTrain
tunnel is built just west of the Cambie Bridge.
with a trussed timber swing span
near the middle. It cost $12,000 (CAD
).
tracks. It was completed in 1911 for $740,000, opening to traffic on May 24, 1911. The following year, Canada’s Governor General, the Duke of Connaught
, accompanied by the Duchess and their daughter, Princess Patricia, visited Vancouver to officiate at a ceremony renaming the new crossing as the "Connaught Bridge" on September 20, 1912. The name "Connaught" never caught on, and most people continued to call it simply the "Cambie Street Bridge", after the street that runs across it, Cambie Street
, named for pioneer Vancouver resident Henry John Cambie
.
The navigation span was a steel through-truss swing span
which the city would open on four hours' notice. In 1953, it opened 79 times. Even in its later years, it was opened once or twice a week. The trusses of the swing span projected through the bridge deck, dividing the two outer lanes from the two inner lanes. This caused many motor vehicle collisions. In April 1915, the creosoted wood deck caught fire, with the collapse of a 24.4 metres (80.1 ft) steel side span.
in May 1986. City engineer W.H. Curtis was assisted by E.A. West, Assistant City Engineer, Streets & Structures, who was closely involved in its construction.
The 1985 bridge is of a twin post-tensioned prestressed concrete type in a continuous span. The total structural length is 1100 metres (3,608.9 ft), it carries 6 lanes of traffic and a 14 feet (4.3 m) pedestrian walkway. The colouring of the concrete was obtained through the addition of volcanic ash
from Mount Lassen to the mix.
Under the bridge's south end is the Neighbourhood Energy Utility, a city-owned heat transfer station that provides heating and hot water to all new buildings in Southeast False Creek.
Both sides of the bridge include pedestrian sidewalks separated from motor vehicle traffic by concrete barriers. The Cambie Bridge ranks second of the three False Creek bridges by measure of pedestrian crossings. A 2002 study measured over 1,500 pedestrians crossing the Cambie Bridge in 11 hours on a weekday. The wider east sidewalk is shared with bicycles. Bicycles are also permitted on the bridge roadway in both directions.
The Cambie Bridge is often used as part of the running route for events such as the Vancouver Sun Run
, the BMO Vancouver Marathon
, and the CIBC Run for the Cure.
Two TransLink bus routes cross the Cambie Bridge: 17 and N15.
Symmetry
Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings. The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection...
, precast
Precast concrete
By producing precast concrete in a controlled environment , the precast concrete is afforded the opportunity to properly cure and be closely monitored by plant employees. Utilizing a Precast Concrete system offers many potential advantages over site casting of concrete...
, varying-depth-post tension-box girder bridge
Girder bridge
A girder bridge, in general, is a bridge built of girders placed on bridge abutments and foundation piers. In turn, a bridge deck is built on top of the girders in order to carry traffic. There are several different subtypes of girder bridges:...
spanning False Creek
False Creek
False Creek is a short inlet in the heart of Vancouver. It separates downtown from the rest of the city. It was named by George Henry Richards during his Hydrographic survey of 1856-63. Science World is located at its eastern end and the Burrard Street Bridge crosses its western end. False Creek is...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The current bridge opened in 1985, but is the third bridge at the same location. Sometimes referred to as the Cambie Street Bridge, it connects Cambie Street
Cambie Street
Cambie Street is a street in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is named for Henry John Cambie, chief surveyor of the Canadian Pacific Railway's western division ....
on the south shore of False Creek to both Nelson and Smithe Streets in the downtown peninsula. It is the easternmost of False Creek's fixed crossings; the Burrard
Burrard Street Bridge
The Burrard Bridge is a five-lane, Art Deco style, steel truss bridge constructed in 1930-1932 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The high, five part bridge on four piers spans False Creek, connecting downtown Vancouver with Kitsilano via connections to Burrard Street on both ends...
and Granville
Granville Street Bridge
The Granville Street Bridge is an eight lane bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia. It spans False Creek and is 27.4 metres above Granville Island. It is part of Highway 99.-History:...
bridges are a little more than a kilometre to the west, and the new Canada Line
Canada Line
Canada Line is a rapid transit line in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. Opened in August 2009, it is the third line in TransLink's SkyTrain metro network, servicing Vancouver, Richmond, and the Vancouver International Airport...
SkyTrain
SkyTrain (Vancouver)
SkyTrain is a light rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks, running mostly on elevated guideways, which helps SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability...
tunnel is built just west of the Cambie Bridge.
History
The first Cambie Street Bridge, opened in 1891, was built as a simple piled-timber trestleTrestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
with a trussed timber swing span
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
near the middle. It cost $12,000 (CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
).
Second bridge
The next bridge was a four-lane, medium level steel bridge, 1247 metres (4,091.2 ft) long and carrying streetcarTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
tracks. It was completed in 1911 for $740,000, opening to traffic on May 24, 1911. The following year, Canada’s Governor General, the Duke of Connaught
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
, accompanied by the Duchess and their daughter, Princess Patricia, visited Vancouver to officiate at a ceremony renaming the new crossing as the "Connaught Bridge" on September 20, 1912. The name "Connaught" never caught on, and most people continued to call it simply the "Cambie Street Bridge", after the street that runs across it, Cambie Street
Cambie Street
Cambie Street is a street in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is named for Henry John Cambie, chief surveyor of the Canadian Pacific Railway's western division ....
, named for pioneer Vancouver resident Henry John Cambie
Henry John Cambie
Henry John Cambie was a Canadian surveyor, civil engineer, and a notable figure in the completion of that country's transcontinental railway...
.
The navigation span was a steel through-truss swing span
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
which the city would open on four hours' notice. In 1953, it opened 79 times. Even in its later years, it was opened once or twice a week. The trusses of the swing span projected through the bridge deck, dividing the two outer lanes from the two inner lanes. This caused many motor vehicle collisions. In April 1915, the creosoted wood deck caught fire, with the collapse of a 24.4 metres (80.1 ft) steel side span.
The present bridge
A new, higher, non-opening bridge was built in 1984–85 to replace the 1911 structure. The entire Cambie crossing was closed for nine months, starting November 1984, while the present, six-lane, concrete bridge was merged with the existing approaches. The new bridge cost $52.7 million and was opened on December 8, 1985, after being built to a tight timescale so as to be available for Expo 86Expo 86
The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...
in May 1986. City engineer W.H. Curtis was assisted by E.A. West, Assistant City Engineer, Streets & Structures, who was closely involved in its construction.
The 1985 bridge is of a twin post-tensioned prestressed concrete type in a continuous span. The total structural length is 1100 metres (3,608.9 ft), it carries 6 lanes of traffic and a 14 feet (4.3 m) pedestrian walkway. The colouring of the concrete was obtained through the addition of volcanic ash
Volcanic ash
Volcanic ash consists of small tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions, less than in diameter. There are three mechanisms of volcanic ash formation: gas release under decompression causing magmatic eruptions; thermal contraction from chilling on contact...
from Mount Lassen to the mix.
Under the bridge's south end is the Neighbourhood Energy Utility, a city-owned heat transfer station that provides heating and hot water to all new buildings in Southeast False Creek.
Both sides of the bridge include pedestrian sidewalks separated from motor vehicle traffic by concrete barriers. The Cambie Bridge ranks second of the three False Creek bridges by measure of pedestrian crossings. A 2002 study measured over 1,500 pedestrians crossing the Cambie Bridge in 11 hours on a weekday. The wider east sidewalk is shared with bicycles. Bicycles are also permitted on the bridge roadway in both directions.
The Cambie Bridge is often used as part of the running route for events such as the Vancouver Sun Run
Vancouver Sun Run
The Vancouver Sun Run, sponsored by The Vancouver Sun newspaper, is a 10-km race held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada each year on the third Sunday in April since 1985...
, the BMO Vancouver Marathon
Vancouver Marathon
The BMO Vancouver Marathon is an annual race held on the first Sunday of May each year in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada . As the 2nd largest international marathon event in Canada, it has a certified running distance of 26 miles and 385 yards long. The most recent marathon saw over 14,000...
, and the CIBC Run for the Cure.
Two TransLink bus routes cross the Cambie Bridge: 17 and N15.
External links
- The History of Metropolitan Vancouver
- Documentary on the history of the Cambie Street Bridge, 1986, (Copyright Cineworks / Writer & Director: Bruno Lazaro Pacheco), City of Vancouver Archives
- Traffic camera, live view from Vancouver's City Hall