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Post by Retrovision on Aug 1, 2007 19:18:09 GMT -8
We have many aged bridges in our region but we might not realize the peril we put ourselves through potentially on a daily-basis.
Do you have any concerns about our local fleet of ageing bridges as I do?
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Aug 1, 2007 19:44:11 GMT -8
I would have to say the Patullo and the Iron Workers Memorial. Iron Workers used the same construction method as the East Bay Bridge of Oakland Bay, since that bridge is due to collapse in the big one, a new Iron Workers Memorial may want to be constructed and perhaps symbolize the rebuilding of the Trans Canada Highway section of BC into a bit more of a freeway than it is a white nuckled merger. Though I would emphasize a North Vancouver Sky train line be built along it to create a loop into Vancouver. I would also say Granville Street Bridge too since that is based off an older design. The Burrard I would say is the safest due to its arch design. One bridge in my own town has faired better in many quakes and it is an arch design which is why I am saying this. The Oak Street Bridge needs an overhaul due to the lanes being narrow and a bad off ramp heading on 99 South to YVR. Could I also include the Massey Tunnel in this one? It's a 40 year old tunnel and I think it needs replacement too.
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Post by Scott on Aug 1, 2007 22:24:08 GMT -8
The tunnel is closer to 50 years old! We've got a lot of bridges and a lot of them are quite old. So I guess we should be concerned. It's pretty evident that what happened in Minneapolis wasn't even an earthquake - quite scary. Reminds me of one of British Columbia's worst disasters. The collapse of the Point Ellice Bridge which killed 55 people in 1896. A combination of poor construction and too many people on the bridge at once. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Ellice_Bridge_Disaster
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Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886
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Post by Mill Bay on Aug 2, 2007 14:11:40 GMT -8
I've been considering what can be done about the Patullo a lot, and the one big question I've come up with that seems to mystify me is why they didn't just build one large bridge when they put the Skytrain across the river and have had it designed to accomodate both road traffic and rail transit...
If they had been thinking ahead at all, they could have done this all at once and the Patullo could have been by-passed a long time ago by a safer, multi-functional bridge. They should do the same thing with the new RAV line bridge that is being built over the Fraser.
Along the same lines, if they want to replace the Port Mann bridge so badly, why not do it right once the first time and build a bridge designed to carry traffic on multiple levels. Effectively, they could have two bridges in the space of one and then they won't have to worry about building another new one in however many years to replace the old one that they are leaving in place.
At the very least, any new crossing of the Fraser should have provisions for high-speed transit... all this talk about the need to decrease the use of cars, and they don't even seem to be considering any possibilities for fitting rapid transit into the puzzle.
They build bridges all over the world that carry both road and rail transit through single structures, even on multiple levels, so why is it that planners in B.C. seem to be so out of sync. They never seem willing to want to build anything but roads and they hardly even seem willing to consider rapid transit.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Aug 2, 2007 15:08:16 GMT -8
I suggest you talk to misterA about who is planning the down fall of mass transportation. In fact, most poeple who care about the issue are not happy.
Transit users alike have not been happy about the news of the provincial government taking control of Translink. The Bus Drivers union is considering a strike when the turn over comes. This is due to the provincial government wanting to reduce services from the Buses to the Skytrain. Also, there will be higher fares for less service. Where does all the money go to? I do not know. However, I suspect it is not going to be responsibly spent. The time is now to send in a few words to Mr. Campbell and urge him to stop this at once. I also ask that it is time to say bye bye to Mr. Kevin Falcon. I hate that a world class transit system is in great peril by a government. Here is a great saying for this one "if it ain't broken don't fix it" It is already world class in comparison to most of North America and the reduction I am not willing to accept. If they aren't willing to listen, you got to fight for it.
Back along the topic of bridge replacement.
The Port Mann old span should be used for some sort of rail transit into the Langley area. The RAV line is going to just have a pedestrian and bike path bridge and that is it. The old Patullo needs to be bigger so that it can handle the rush hour and have provisions for rapid mass transit. However, in that area, do they have major bus routes in the area to make a rapid transit system viable? I know tunneling under the current UBC and Oak Street might make sense due to busses running every 5 minutes. Also, if there is a Massey Tunnel replacement, use the old tunnel for high speed rail to Ladner since the bus route there takes about two buses to fill up.
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Post by Retrovision on Aug 4, 2007 17:41:13 GMT -8
The Port Mann old span should be used for some sort of rail transit into the Langley area. What a concept, recycling infrastructure Also, if there is a Massey Tunnel replacement, use the old tunnel for high speed rail to Ladner since the bus route there takes about two buses to fill up. This idea is, however, not supported by our LRSP, the Livable Region Strategic Plan developed by and for our area with roots in the 70s. Ladner has potential as a regional hub, granted, but we must first focus on the unfortunate urban sprawl that we've already created, in my opinion. It is sad to me that the City of Surrey will (relatively) soon surpass Vancouver as the third largest centre of population in our country, but I am moreso resolved to fix the damage we've done already at this point in time; not only does urban sprawl need to be curbed for the sake of our livable region, but even more we need to plan what we'll do in the near and distant future through a similar plan today in order to assure the livability of our region for decades and in fact centuries to come.
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Post by Nickfro on Jun 24, 2008 16:52:05 GMT -8
This has to do with a bridge that was at risk, and now its replacement has been officially born. The new William R. Bennett Bridge is open across Okanagan Lake in Kelowna. I don't know how long it has been open for, but I just noticed that they have 4 highway webcams set up for it. They can be seen here.I also just looked at their project website, and I see it was fully opened on June 4th. If I recall correctly, Chris was up that way recently. How does it look? That will undoubtedly ease traffic problems that were a staple up there.
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Post by CN2972South on Jun 24, 2008 16:59:44 GMT -8
I read these posts about the bridges in Vancouver, but what about the Johnson Street Bridge in Victoria? That thing is over 80 years old.
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