The Marpole Bridge (1889–1957), a.k.a. Eburne Bridge, North Arm Bridge, Sea Island Bridge, or Middle Arm Bridge, was consecutive crossings over the north and middle arms of the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

Metro Vancouver The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 28 ...

History

Structural deficiencies

The initial crossing between north Eburne and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

was a manually-cranked-cable

scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small harbours. S ...

. In 1888, the San Francisco Bridge Co. began work on the two timber

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

s, with steel swing spans, connecting north Eburne with

Lulu Island Lulu Island is the name of the largest island in the estuary of the Fraser River, located south of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the second-most populous island in British Columbia, after Vancouver Island. The city of Richmond occupies most ...

via the eastern tip of south Eburne. Completed in November 1889, the set of low-level two-lane bridges opened that December, and the Municipality of Richmond assumed responsibility for their maintenance. On January 3, 1890, an ice sheet carried by the incoming tide destroyed the Lulu Island span, which remained out of service for most of 1890. Shortly after reopening, the span fell into the river. Over the decades, river traffic found the narrow spans difficult to navigate, and the first collision causing structural damage was 1891. In 1901, the province agreed to assume responsibility for the planked bridges. To provide two more years life, the plan was to replace the two wooden swings with steel swing spans, and replace the trestle approaches, but extensive rot in the piers revised the project to a complete rebuild. McLean Bros. and Canadian Bridge Co. completed the 1,682-foot and 1,150-foot

Howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a bridg ...

bridges in 1902. During 1909–10, 18 piles were replaced, 1,100 feet of decking was replanked, and the Lulu Island trestle approach repaired. In 1919–20, 100 feet of asphalt were laid as an experimental surface, and the turning gear for the swing spans became electrically powered. Assumedly prior to this time, manually rotating a capstan slowly moved the span. Redecking occurred most years.

Final rebuild and protection

During 1924–25, Nickson Construction and Hamilton Bridge Works commenced building combined steel and timber bridges to replace the existing ones, with the new decks asphalted the following year. In official classification, the north arm span was Eburne No. 4 and the middle arm Eburne No. 5. In 1934–35, the decking was renewed and asphalted. A guard patrolled the crossing during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. For 1942–43, major repairs included new piling in the protection piers, new

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

s, and extensive timber replacement in the Howe trusses. During 1948–49, major repairs were required on several occasions due to barge strikes. In 1951–52, a new Howe truss floated into place for No. 4, with major repairs to the substructure, and a complete renewal of ties and deck. The following year, No. 5 received a new 130-foot Howe truss, new ties and deck, and solid fill replaced the approach trestles to the southeast. Ultimately, the reclamation of this whole area made Duck Island part of Lulu Island. Numerous blows from passing barges to the No. 4 outer piers necessitated minor closures during 1955–56, while pier and span were jacked back into position. Damage sustained the next year required the complete replacement of one pier.

Congestion and replacement

By 1928, over 4,400 vessels annually passed through the No. 4 draw, considerably delaying road traffic. Openings increased to about 5,400 by 1936, and over 7,000 by 1954 (images). Increasing vehicle backups, due to openings for river traffic, delayed travel to

Vancouver International Airport Vancouver International Airport is an international airport located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, serving the city of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland region. It is located from Downtown Vancouver. It is the second busiest ...

, owned by Vancouver City up to 1961. Since the 1930s, an ongoing dispute between the province and the city over funding delayed a replacement bridge. During the planning stage, the

Oak Street Bridge The Oak Street Bridge is a crossing over the north arm of the Fraser River, the Canada Line, and several roads, in Metro Vancouver. History Infrastructure During the planning stage, it was known as the New Marpole Bridge, and steel plate girder ...

, opened in 1957, was known as the New Marpole Bridge, becoming its replacement. Throughout 1958–61, Public Works dismantled the closed No. 4, with the remaining swing span, swing span pier, and protection piers, removed by a contractor. Although the

Moray Bridge The Moray Bridge, also known as the Moray Channel Bridge, and formerly the Middle Arm Bridge, is a crossing over the middle arm of the Fraser River in Metro Vancouver. Richard Moody, who would name geographical features, such as this channel, afte ...

replaced the No. 5 in 1957, the structure was not finally dismantled until 1965–66. The new crossing configuration created a more circuitous route between Vancouver and the airport, causing traffic delays when the Moray Bridge opened for boats. The

Arthur Laing Bridge The Arthur Laing Bridge is a crossing over the north arm of the Fraser River, and several minor roads, in Metro Vancouver. History Proposal The closing of the original Marpole Bridge in 1957 created a more circuitous route between Vancouver and ...

, completed in 1975, restored a direct route.

Footnotes

References

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Crossings Crossings may refer to: * ''Crossings'' (Buffy novel), a 2002 original novel based on the U.S. television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' * Crossings (game), a two-player abstract strategy board game invented by Robert Abbott * ''Crossings'' ...

, place =