Skybridge (TransLink)

The SkyBridge[1] is a cable-stayed bridge in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Built between 1987 and 1989, it spans the Fraser River and connects New Westminster with Surrey.[2] The SkyBridge opened for revenue use on March 16, 1990, with the second half of the Phase II extension of SkyTrain to Scott Road station.

SkyBridge
Coordinates49°12′20″N 122°53′48″W
CarriesTwo tracks of the Expo Line and a maintenance track
CrossesFraser River
LocaleNew Westminster
Surrey
Characteristics
Total length616 metres (2,021 ft)
Height123 metres (404 ft)
Longest span340 metres (1,115 ft)
Clearance below45 metres (148 ft)
History
OpenedMarch 16, 1990

History

Construction of the bridge began on October 28, 1987.[3] The first half of the bridge heading towards Surrey was completed first, with the New Westminster half being completed on March 19, 1990.[3] The bridge was manufactured by Hyundai Engineering & Construction and a Chilliwack-based construction company with a total cost of CAD$28 million,[3] or $54.5 million in 2018 dollars.[4]

Details
Detail of the tracks in 2011

The SkyBridge does not carry automobiles, unlike the neighbouring Pattullo Bridge, but has two tracks to let TransLink's SkyTrain pass either way on the bridge on its journey between King George station in Surrey and Waterfront station in Downtown Vancouver. A third set of rails in the middle, not connected to the SkyTrain tracks, is used by maintenance crews to truck equipment back and forth on the bridge.

The bridge has two 123-metre (404 ft) tall towers and carries trains 45 metres (148 ft) above the Fraser River and valley.[5] The main span is 340 metres (1,120 ft) and the total length is 616 metres (2,021 ft). The bridge was the longest cable-supported transit-only bridge in the world[6] from its opening in 1990 to 2019, when it was surpassed by the Egongyan Rail Transit Bridge.

See also

Notes
  1. "The Buzzer" (PDF). www.translink.ca. BC Transit. December 4, 1987. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  2. "SkyTrain & SkyBridge" (PDF). New Westminster Parks, Culture & Recreation. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  3. "Heritage Database". New Westminster Heritage. New Westminster Public Library. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  4. Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. January 18, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019. and 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  5. "Vancouver SkyTrain, Canada". railway-technology. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  6. "Skytrain Bridge". Buckland & Taylor Ltd. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.

References

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