Sgt. Aubrey Cosens VC Memorial Bridge
Encyclopedia
Aubrey Cosens
Aubrey Cosens, VC, was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Military service:Cosens was 23 years old and a sergeant in The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada...
VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, and is located in Latchford, Ontario
Latchford, Ontario
Latchford is a Single-tier municipality town in Timiskaming District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located on Bay Lake on the Montreal River near the town of Cobalt and the municipality of Temagami, and is 20 kilometres from the city of Temiskaming Shores. The population of the town in...
where Highway 11
Highway 11 (Ontario)
King's Highway 11 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second longest highway in the province after Highway 17. Highway 11 begins at Highway 400 in Barrie, and arches through northern Ontario, around Lake Superior, to the Ontario–Minnesota border...
crosses the Montreal River
Montreal River (Timiskaming District, Ontario)
The Montreal River is a river in Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada. It travels from its source at Smoothwater Lake to its mouth at Lake Timiskaming on the Ottawa River. The river is a significant source of hydroelectricity.-Course:...
.
On January 14, 2003 there was a partial failure of the bridge, resulting in the closure of the highway. A temporary one-lane bridge was constructed to carry traffic on the highway until the bridge was repaired and reopened. There were no casualties in the incident.
According to the Ministry of Transportation
Ministry of Transportation (Ontario)
The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario is the provincial ministry of the government of Ontario which is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, when the province began training Provincial Road Building...
's final report, the failure was caused by fatigue
Fatigue (material)
'In materials science, fatigue is the progressive and localized structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic loading. The nominal maximum stress values are less than the ultimate tensile stress limit, and may be below the yield stress limit of the material.Fatigue occurs...
fracture of three steel hanger rods on the northwest side of the bridge, which led to the northwest corner of the bridge deck dropping approximately two metres. The report also recommended a number of improvements to the ministry's design and inspection practices to prevent future failures of this type.