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A 120m aerial view overlooking the Port Mann Bridge (Highway 1), a cable-stayed bridge crossing the Fraser River b/w Surrey & Coquitlam, British Columbia. This bridge was completed in 2012, replacing the original one that was located just on the other side from this view. The original bridge was opened on June 12, 1964 at a cost of $25 milion.
On January 31, 2006, the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation introduced the Gateway Program as a means to address growing congestion. The project originally envisioned twinning the Port Mann Bridge by building a second bridge adjacent to it, but the project was changed to building a 10-lane replacement bridge, planned to be the widest in the world, and demolishing the original bridge. While the old bridge was found to be in "excellent shape, it is a fracture-critical structure with a tension member that runs the full length of the bridge. If that fractures anywhere, the bridge’s structural safety can be compromised heavily...There is no built-in redundancy [in this type of bridge].
Groundbreaking took place on February 4, 2009 & ended on September 17, 2015 at a cost of $820 million. The old bridge had also been removed after being officially closed on November 17, 2012, taking nearly three years to disassemble. Tolling was also added to the bridge from 2012 to 2017 to recover costs. The new bridge is 2.02 kilometres (1.26 mi) long, up to 65 metres (213 ft) wide, carries 10 lanes of traffic, and has a 42 metres (138 ft) clearance above the river's high water level (the same length and clearance as the old bridge). The towers are approximately 75 metres (246 ft) tall above deck level, with the total height approximately 163 metres (535 ft) from top of footing. The main span (between the towers) is 470 metres (1,540 ft) long, the second longest cable-stayed span in the western hemisphere. The main bridge (between the end of the cables) has a length of 850 metres (2,790 ft) with two towers and 288 cables. The new bridge was built to accommodate the future installation of light rapid transit.
Also in view is the CN Rail's Thornton Yard.
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Mann_Bridge
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