Alex Fraser Bridge

Alex Fraser Bridge

Alex Fraser Bridge, looking southbound from Annacis Island.
Coordinates 49°09′35″N 122°56′34″W / 49.1598°N 122.9428°W / 49.1598; -122.9428Coordinates: 49°09′35″N 122°56′34″W / 49.1598°N 122.9428°W / 49.1598; -122.9428
Carries Six lanes of British Columbia Highway 91, pedestrians and bicycles
Crosses South Arm Fraser River
Locale Delta, BC
Maintained by British Columbia Ministry of Transportation
Characteristics
Design cable-stayed bridge
Material Steel & Reinforced concrete
Total length 2,525 m
Width 32 m
Height 154 m
Longest span 465 m
Clearance below 55 m
History
Designer Buckland & Taylor
Construction begin 1983
Opened September 22, 1986
References [1]

The Alex Fraser Bridge (also known as the Annacis Bridge) is a cable-stayed bridge over the Fraser River that connects Richmond and New Westminster with North Delta in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia. The bridge is named for Alex Fraser, a former British Columbia Minister of Transportation who died of throat cancer.

Location in Metro Vancouver

The bridge was the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world when it opened on September 22, 1986 and was the longest in North America until the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge opened in 2005. As of 2009 it is the 32nd-longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, and second-longest in North America. It is 2,525 m long with a main span of 465 m. The towers are 154 m tall.[2] It consists of six lanes, three in each direction, and has a maximum speed limit of 90 km per hour. Upon opening in 1986, only four of the six available lanes were open. Cyclists and pedestrians share two narrow side-walks one on each side. All six lanes opened in 1987 after traffic demand justified the need.[3]

The bridge's southern end is in North Delta and its northern end is on Delta's Annacis Island. Connections on its southern end lead to Blaine, Washington and to White Rock. The connections on the northern end lead into the cities of New Westminster, Richmond, and Burnaby, and on into Vancouver itself. It is a major artery in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

The bridge was constructed for the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and was designed by a joint venture of Klohn Crippen Berger and Buckland & Taylor. Its total cost was $58 million.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alex Fraser Bridge.
  1. ↑ Alex Fraser Bridge en.structurae.de (English), (French), (German)
  2. ↑ Buckland & Taylor project page, lists design facts about the bridge
  3. ↑ , The History of Metropolitan Vancouver - 1986 chronology
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